‘In Shackleton’s Footsteps’
Gary couple thought they could outrun outbreak on cruise to Antarctica
When Garth Lewis and Joy Jaeger booked their dream-of-a-lifetime cruise to the continent of Antarctica two years ago, they never imagined embarking on their adventure as a global pandemic spread across the world.
“We felt we were heading to the most pristine part of the world, as far south as you could possibly go,” Lewis said. “We also thought there might be a chance we could outrun the whole COVID-19 outbreak.”
This didn’t happen for the couple, who are married and live in the Miller section of Gary.
On March 9, they flew to Bueno Aires, Argentina, to later board the cruise ship “Greg Mortimer” at another city.
“If it’s the end of the world, might as well be at the end of the world,” Jaeger wrote on her Facebook page March 14.
As scheduled, the ship departed March 15 on a 21-day
voyage to Antarctica, titled “In Shackleton’s Footsteps,” referencing the South Pole explorer who led British expeditions to that region, and who died there in 1922.
“We had a feeling things were going south as soon as we boarded our ship,” Lewis said without a hint of a pun.
Everyone on the vessel – 114 passengers, 85 crew members, and 17 tour company staff – were first checked for a fever. On board, they were checked daily at least once. If even one person showed signs of a fever, everyone would have to be quarantined in their cabin, they were told.
Eventually, 128 of them would test positive for the virus, including Lewis. At least eight people would be hospitalized, with three treated in an ICU. One crew member would later die, they said.
“We knew if one person had the virus, it would likely spread to others on the ship,” Lewis said. “And it did.”
Just a few days into the trip, passengers were told that the cruise would be cut short, not strictly due to COVID-19 but because cruise-related businesses were closing in response to the pandemic. There were no guarantees of getting home as planned.
On March 18, Jaeger posted: “Took our first walk on the continent of Antarctica today. Definitely the coolest continent I’ve ever been to.”
Over the past 20 years, the couple has taken at least two dozen trips overseas.
A few days after leaving Antarctica, the first fever was detected on the ship, then announced to passengers. Lewis’ initial reaction: “Oh (expletive).”
“We were isolated to our cabins the next day,” he said.
The couple felt shock, fear, confusion. “We were on this petri dish just floating around the ocean,” Lewis said.
According to a Miami Herald investigation, cruise ships are now understood to be one of the most dangerous places during a pandemic. “Just how many passengers and crew got sick or died is impossible to know,” an April 23 story states.
“No global health body or regulatory agency is known to be tracking those statistics. And the cruise industry — which downplayed the dangers to consumers and kept sending out ships despite outbreaks on board and warnings from public health officials — has largely stayed silent about the toll,” the story states.
The Miami Herald began tracking outbreaks on cruise ships, with reporters finding at least 2,592 people testing positive for COVID-19 during or directly after a cruise, and at least 65 people who died, according to a database built by the Herald. “That is far more than the industry or public health officials have acknowledged. It’s also likely not the complete picture,” the story states.
On the cruise ship Greg Mortimer, operated by Australia’s Aurora Expeditions, passengers underwent three rounds of testing for COVID-19, first through a nasal swab, followed by throat swab. Lewis and Jaeger had to wait five days for their results. Lewis tested positive. Jaeger tested negative.
“Interestingly, through communications with other passengers, the overwhelming majority of cabins had split results like ours, which makes you wonder about the accuracy,” Lewis said. “I’m no infectious disease expert, but I find it hard to believe that something so contagious could infect one person but not his or her cabin mate. This feeling was shared by everyone else.”
During the ship’s quarantine, Lewis woke up one day feeling weak.
“I was wiped out,” he said.
For a week, he had no taste or smell. His condition eventually improved.
The couple’s immediate concern was their health. Their overriding concern was how, and when, they would get home. The ship used its public speaker system to keep passengers updated at least twice a day.
At the Falkland Islands, the plan was to put all passengers on charter flights to Chile, then flown back to their homes. But as more fevers emerged, that plan got scrapped. The ship continued north to Uruguay, anchoring 10 miles off its capital city, Montevideo.
“Uruguay officials, though, would not let us off the ship,” Lewis said.
The ship’s cabin-quarantine dragged on for three weeks. All meals were delivered to cabins, which had internet access and a television to watch movies, as well as a phone to talk with other passengers.
“Thankfully, our cabin had a balcony,” Lewis said.
On April 4, Lewis sent me an email: “Our tour company CEO has issued a press release in the capitals of our respective countries. All signs are pointing toward a resolution, so fingers crossed.” The couple was scheduled to be home by that date.
The ship’s crew suspected someone contracted the virus in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, from where the ship departed. Six passengers requiring specialized care were transferred ship-to-ship to medical facilities in Montevideo, shown in this video posted by the Uruguayan navy.
A week later, the country’s government authorized a medical flight evacuation, starting with the ship’s passengers from Australian and New Zealand. On April 15, authorities transported the remaining passengers who were from Sweden, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
“We felt like we had finally been liberated,” Lewis said.
They had a police escort to the airport, described by Uruguay authorities as a “humanitarian corridor.”
“Montevideo residents all along the route were honking, waving, and flying Uruguayan flags,” Lewis said. “I saw one group waving an American flag. Another resident dangled a sign from his balcony that said in English, ‘Good Trip Home.’ It was very touching.”
The U.S. Embassy there played a key role. At the airport, an embassy official greeted the passengers. Lewis wanted to hug him. He didn’t dare.
“We were national news and Uruguayans were clearly proud of their country’s response, and rightfully so,” Lewis said.
Charter flights were booked to transport all passengers back to their home countries. Lewis and Jaeger were flown to Miami, then to Chicago Midway International Airport in a private eight-seat Leer jet, packed with boxes of medical supplies. All travel arrangements were paid for by the tour company.
“They handled things pretty darn well, considering everything,” Lewis said. “Throughout the cruise they were calming, transparent, and communicative.”
At Midway, the couple boarded two ambulances.
“One for each of us,” Lewis said.
They arrived home April 16. Safe. Healthy. Self-quarantined again.
“Rescued. Evacuated. Repatriated,” Jaeger posted on her Facebook page.
“It took an army of people to make this happen, but we are especially grateful to Aurora Expeditions staff and crew, the US Embassy Montevideo, and ESPECIALLY to the government and people of Uruguay who were so kind to us, including the medical workers who risked their lives to come and live aboard our ship,” she wrote.
On Wednesday, Lewis called me.
“We knew we were in for a trip of a lifetime, but wow, we certainly got more than we ever bargained for,” Lewis said. “Still, we have no regrets.”