Hawaii couple ‘so happy’ to return home after a month of quarantine amid coronavirus outbreak

After being away from home for nearly a month longer than expected, the Ewa Beach couple that was aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship during the novel coronavirus outbreak returned to Hawaii on Monday afternoon.

Debbie Pagan, 58, and Eric Pagan, 64, were on the ship in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 4 when it was scheduled to drop them off, but the presence of a passenger who had the coronavirus, or COVID-19, triggered essentially two two-week quarantines for the couple.

Their last quarantine day was Sunday at Travis Air Force Base in California.

At around 5:30 p.m. the couple, who tested negative for the virus throughout the quarantines, arrived at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. They left the base Monday morning.

“I’m so happy. I can’t believe it,” Debbie Pagan said, holding back tears at baggage claim. “I’m on the plane and I close my eyes, and I’m thinking I’m still at Travis Air Force Base, but when I open my eyes we’re actually landing (in Honolulu). So, I thank God for that. We’re home.”

In February the Pagans were twice notified that they could not go home. Feb. 3 was supposed to be their last night on the Diamond Princess, but instead they, along with the rest of the passengers, spent the next day getting tested for the coronavirus. On Feb. 5 they were told they had to stay on the ship in Yokohama for 14 days.

Over 700 people aboard have so far tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. About 3,000 people worldwide have died from it.

Then, on Feb. 16, just days before the end of the quarantine, the American passengers were given the option to restart the two-week quarantine in the United States or stay in Japan for at least two more weeks. Over 300 of them, including the Pagans, chose to take a chartered flight back to one of several military bases in the U.S. to begin the quarantine again.

After a “nightmare” trip from the ship in Yokohama to Travis Air Force Base that included hours of anxious waiting and a flight that also carried 14 Americans who tested positive for the coronavirus, the passengers reached the base late that night.

For both quarantines the Pagans were mostly stuck in their rooms as their food was delivered and temperatures were taken daily. They were allowed to go outside while on base, but when they did they had to wear respirator masks that Debbie Pagan said were difficult to breathe in.

The results of an “intensive” nose and throat test at Travis Air Force Base confirmed a month of temperature readings: They did not have the coronavirus and were free to go home.

“I believe we persevered, endured and overcame,” said Eric, who works as a handyman.

“And we stayed funny,” said Debbie, a Realtor. “If we had to take that step, we might as well take it positively.”

The Pagans, despite escaping one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus just a day before, were all smiles at the airport.

They said the first thing they wanted to do was to find their son Ryan Pagan, grandson Ezekiel Pagan and their dog, a Maltese named Snowball. They also wanted to catch up on rest.

“Even if there was nothing to do there, it was just an emotional roller coaster, so it was still exhausting,” Debbie Pagan said.

Her sister, Cindy Robello, was the first to greet them. She gave Eric Pagan a lei and Debbie Pagan a bouquet. Their flight was about a half-hour early, so all three waited outside as their son and grandson drove from Ewa Beach to pick them up.

They arrived around 6:30 p.m. Before they left the airport, Eric made a cradle with his arms and said, “The only one missing is our little Snowball.”