Virus-stricken cruise ship begs Florida to dock
MIAMI: As a cruise ship stranded at sea with dozens sick and four dead makes for Florida, passengers who have been confined to their rooms for more than a week are anxious for relief, hoping Gov Ron DeSantis will change his mind and allow them to disembark despite confirmed Covid-19 cases aboard.
Orlando technical writer Laura Gabaroni and her husband, Juan Huergo, have wanted to explore the southernmost tip of South America for years – to see the penguins on the Falkland Islands and the glacial landscapes of the Strait of Magellan.
But their vacation turned harrowing as countries shunned them and people fell ill.
“It’s been a trying time, especially because of the many ups and downs we’ve seen along the way,” Gabaroni said.
“We are unable to leave our rooms, haven’t had fresh air in days.”
Hundreds of passengers and crew members from the Zaandam have not stepped on dry land for 15 days as the coronavirus prompted authorities around the world to seal borders, implement checkpoints and force people into quarantines.
Passengers were asked to keep their rooms dark and leave their drapes closed when they passed through the Panama Canal on Sunday night after days of wrangling with local authorities.
The Zaandam’s plans to dock in Florida are still up in the air but have already been rebuked by local officials and DeSantis, who says healthcare resources are stretched too thin.
He said he has been in contact with the Coast Guard and the White House about diverting the ship.
Broward County officials will meet to decide whether to let the ship dock at its Port Everglades cruise ship terminal, where workers who greet passengers were among Florida’s first confirmed coronavirus cases.
Dozens on board the Holland America Line ship have reported flu-like symptoms and four people have died, with at least two of the deaths blamed on the coronavirus by Panamanian authorities.
The company said eight others have tested positive for Covid-19 but 2,300 passengers and crew members are in good health.
Gabaroni and hundreds of others who were fever-free and not showing any symptoms were transferred to a sister ship, the Rotterdam, sent last week with supplies and staff to replenish the stranded boat.
The Zaandam was originally scheduled to travel on March 7 from Buenos Aires to San Antonio, Chile, and then depart on March 21 for a 20-day cruise to arrive in Fort Lauderdale in early April.
But beginning March 15, the Zandaam was denied entry by South American ports, even before passengers reported their first flulike symptoms on March 22. — AP