This time, we have tell them, Don’t come
South Florida faces a moral dilemma that will play out on the national stage, and soon, unless the White House steps in. And we believe that it should.
Holland America wants permission for its Zaandam cruise ship to dock at Port Everglades on Wednesday, bringing with it four dead, likely of COVID-19, and almost 200 passengers and crew with flu-like symptoms.
“Not in our backyard” has been the unwavering response from Gov. DeSantis and the mayors of
Broward and Fort Lauderdale, Dale Holness and Dean Trantalis, respectively. They say they will try to stop the Zaandam and its sister ship, the Rotterdam, from berthing. Instead, they suggest two viable options:
First, that the Zaandam and the Rotterdam, which took on board the healthy 1,000 passengers from the Zaandam, be left offshore and the sick receive medical care provided by the cruise line;
Or that the White House, which has been approached by DeSantis, order the cruise ships diverted to a Navy base somewhere along the East Coast where passengers can be evaluated and quarantined, if necessary.
DeSantis is right to call in the cavalry here. Taking passengers to a military facility is far more compassionate — passengers should not be left stranded on the ships — and makes the most sense.
Welcoming 2,500 coronavirusexposed passengers and crew into overwhelmed, or about to be overwhelmed communities, should not fall on any local government — at least, not at this time.
In addition, there needs to be a plan, a solid one, well-thought-out, but flexible. That’s been missing from too much of the state’s babystep responses to the coronavirus, which had infected, as of Monday evening, more than 5,700 people in Florida.
Also, governments and Holland American need to come to consensus. How will the infected be handled? And the exposed? And the healthy? Where will the infected be treated? Where will the exposed be quarantined? Military bases could be the answer.
But all this, and more, must be determined beforehand for the safety of the public, the passengers and medical personnel. There is no perfect solution, but scattershot thinking is unacceptable. Floridians already have seen that it doesn’t work.
Under other circumstances, this would be a harsh stance. However, this is a once-in-a-century pandemic, a deadly one, and the rules are different.
South Florida is known worldwide as a welcoming region, often in matters of life and death. This time, it’s a matter of life and death, and resources, and common sense.
Holland America, which is a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines, on Monday issued an impassioned plea to for their ships to be allowed to come to shore in Fort Lauderdale.
“Holland America Line is working tirelessly to find medical help and safe passage home for the 1,243 guests and 1,247 crew stranded at sea on our two ships,” wrote Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “These are unfortunate souls unwittingly caught up in the fast-changing health, policy and border restrictions that have rapidly swept the globe. … Nations are justifiably focused on the COVID-19 crisis unfolding before them. But they’ve turned their backs on thousands of people left floating at sea. …What happened to compassion and help thy neighbor?”
South Florida’s compassion remains strong and runs deep. We have seen it on display here throughout this pandemic. This time, however, we must act with our hearts but, especially, with our heads.