Docking plan in progress for infected cruise ship
Holland America’s MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam cruise ships, one with ill people on board, crossed the Panama Canal and were headed to Florida. But whether the coronavirusinfected ship and its sister vessel will be able to dock remains unclear.
William Burke, chief maritime officer of Carnival Corp, which owns Holland America Line, said Tuesday during a Broward County Commission Meeting that Port Everglades, where the line hopes to dock, is a “port of last resort.”
Burke said the company intends to treat those who are sick on the ship unless things progress to the point where that is no longer possible.
While nine people on Holland America’s MS Zaandam have tested positive for coronavirus, it is likely that many more on board the ship in limbo are infected.
“We’re assuming people who get sick have COVID,” Burke said.
Only 11 people total have been tested on the Zaandam, with nine rapid tests coming back positive. There are about 200 rapid tests available on the ship, which sometimes result in false-negatives, according to Burke.
Four elderly passengers on the Zaandam died, though the causes of death have not been disclosed. As of Tuesday, 83 guests and 117 crew members had reported flu-like symptoms. Symptoms of the flu and coronavirus are similar. Of the symptomatic passengers who were tested, two tested positive for COVID-19.
Erik Elvejord, spokesperson for Holland America Line, said on Tuesday only 14 guests and one crew member were still showing symptoms.
That means “no more symptoms,” Elvejord said in an email. “For example, if they had a cough or fever, they no longer have it.”
Andrea Bergmann Anderson, a passenger on the Zaandam, said Monday the ship was scheduled to anchor near San Andres Island, but instead carried on. A plane was to bring in medical supplies and medically evacuate two passengers but was denied permission to land by the Colombian government, she said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday that it’s working with Holland America on a detailed docking plan that would require two ships carrying passengers and crew from the ill-fated cruise to handle all medical issues without impacting South Florida’s alreadystressed hospitals.
If a “unified command” of state, local and federal officials can’t unanimously adopt the plan, they’ll punt a decision to Washington, Coast Guard Captain Jo-ann Burdian said.
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony called the decision a “humanitarian crisis” and asked commissioners not to vote based on emotion. Allowing the ship to dock here would burden the local healthcare system and put residents at risk of additional exposure, he warned.
“This ship has been turned away from several countries already. We are the United States of America and we have never turned away people in need or those that are sick but we are in some very, very critical circumstances where we as a country are going to have to determine are we willing to take on this responsibility.”
Contributing: The Associated Press