'Oh, it won't happen to me'

NORWALK — Where were you when the pandemic started? Mike and Janet Poyer were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Poyers, of Norwalk, flew to San Francisco Feb. 21 to board the Grand Princess Cruise ship bound for Hawaii. The Poyers, both retired, planned the cruise in July of 2019 as part of their quest to visit all 50 states. It had been a month since the United States confirmed its first COVID-19 case. Janet's sister implored the couple to cancel, but it did not stop them. "We were aware of it," Janet said. "But you always think, 'Oh, it won't happen to me."' For the first 11 days of their cruise, nothing did. The Poyers explored Hawaiian islands Kauai and Hilo. They watched whales, walked through botanical gardens and sampled farmers' markets. They visited the U.S.S. Missouri, upon which Japan surrendered during World War II. "We did what normal people do," Janet said. On Day 12 — March 5 — the cruise headed toward Mexico, its final stop before trekking back to California. That day, the ship received a letter that upended the Poyers' vacation. A man in California had died of COVID-19. One week prior, that same man was aboard the Grand Princess. More than 100 people aboard the ship tested positive for the coronavirus and at least two people died. The Poyers' cruise became a national news story. Meanwhile, the Poyers have become veteran social-distancers since returning home. They've built a cabinet, finished their 2020 spring cleaning and they walk often. Like many in quarantine, they miss their friends and family. But thanks to their cut-short cruise, they know better than to take the pandemic lightly. "It's just something that you have to do," Janet said. "You don't know what you can do till you have to do it. I didn't want to get anyone at home sick." When the Poyers left for their cruise, Janet planned to return home the evening of March 7, the same day the Grand Princess was scheduled to return in San Francisco. Those plans quickly changed once the ship received word that it might be contaminated. Passengers were ordered to stay in their staterooms. Their meals would be brought to their doors. Their arrival in San Francisco was delayed — the ship sailed in circles near the California coast for two days. When the ship finally docked on March 9, it docked at an industrial port in Oakland. The ship de-boarded in groups and the Poyers were among the second group to leave. Officials from CDC, HHS and Homeland Security greeted the Poyers as they stepped off the ship. Each passenger had their temperature taken and was given a surgical mask. "They were our constant companions the whole time," Janet said of the masks. Next, government officials directed passengers to a chartered bus, which took them to a nearby airport. Instead of flying commercial to Norwalk, the Poyers — along with about 150 other cruise passengers — flew a private plane to Houston to begin a 14-day quarantine at Lackland Air Force Base. Janet compared their living quarters at Lackland to an efficiency apartment and a hotel room. She guessed they were typically used to house parents during Air Force graduations. Like on the cruise ship, the Poyers could not fetch their own food. They weren't even allowed to touch it. Healthcare officials handed them containers of food they chose. Mike felt bad for his wife. Janet's sister had warned the Poyers about taking a cruise while the virus spread. Now they were stuck in quarantine. "He kept saying, 'Oh my gosh, I made you come to Hawaii. We should have stayed home,"' Janet said. "I said, 'Nobody twisted my arm to go to Hawaii."' Unlike on the cruise ship, the Poyers were allowed to leave their room at Lackland, as long as they adhered to social distancing guidelines. Still, they grew bored easily. "You could only watch so much television," Janet said. "I had read all the books that I had brought with me. We did a lot of walking." Finally, the Poyers flew home to Norwalk on March 24. By the end of the military base quarantine, the Poyers noticed other couples "snipping" at one another. After a month with their significant other and two more weeks together, Janet thought those couples could use some time apart. The Poyers, on the other hand, doubled down on quality time. They self-quarantined for two more weeks after returning home. "He told me he wouldn't have gone through this with anybody else with me," Janet said. "We didn't drive each other too crazy, I don't think."