Stranded Holland America cruise ship where 4 died amid coronavirus outbreak granted Panama Canal passage

Table Of Content

• The Silver Explorer remains docked in Chile after a passenger tested positive
• Stranded passengers on Holland America 'mystery cruise' have no idea where they will end up after ports turn it away
• 'Stranded at sea': cruise ships around the world are adrift as ports turn them away
• Multiple cruise ships have been denied entry to port and are stranded at sea — some with coronavirus cases on board
• The Pacific Princess embarked on its 111-day voyage with uncertainty
• Stranded Holland America cruise ship where 4 died amid coronavirus outbreak granted Panama Canal passage

A 68-year-old Italian man was evacuated from the ship in the Cayman Islands following a stroke on February 29 — before he passed away, the man tested positive for the coronavirus. A married couple were disembarked from the cruise liner on March 8 in Puerto Rico to be hospitalized — the elderly couple both tested positive for the virus, the Wall Street Journal reported. The passenger with respiratory problems has since tested negative for the coronavirus.

The Silver Explorer remains docked in Chile after a passenger tested positive

The company’s statement said there are now four doctors and four nurses aboard the Zaandam and two doctors and four nurses on the Rotterdam. The number trebled from 20 last night after test results for 171 passengers came back and showed 41 new cases. There are also stringent checks on who will be allowed to board the ship, although it is unclear when that will next happen. 'We are quickly working to develop alternate plans and are keeping guests updated on board as information becomes available,' a Holland America statement said. Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and the US territory of Guam have all denied permission for the MS Westerdam to dock.

Stranded passengers on Holland America 'mystery cruise' have no idea where they will end up after ports turn it away

CNN listed a fleet of stranded vessels, from lines like Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Costa Cruises. According to the Guardian, thousands of Australian citizens have been left stuck abroad after departing on cruise ships during the pandemic. Three passengers on board the Costa Luminosa were disembarked in Spain's Canary Islands after displaying respiratory problems, the Miami Herald reported. Although Spain banned all cruises from its ports on March 12, the health department made exceptions for the three Costa passengers. Panamanian authorities have refused to let the Zaandam cruise liner pass through the canal in Central America to attempt dock in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Chile and Argentina have also refused to let the cruise ship enter port, which departed Punta Arenas in Chile on 14 March.

'Stranded at sea': cruise ships around the world are adrift as ports turn them away

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Some cruise ships have been denied docking at ports altogether over coronavirus fears, while others have docked with quarantined passengers on board. But Ross Klein, a professor at St John’s College in Newfoundland who has written four books on the cruise industry, said companies should have acted weeks earlier to cancel trips and refund customers. He noted that cases of cruise ships being turned away from ports as a result of coronavirus fears began as early as January and escalated in February, with passengers being quarantined on the Emerald Princess in Japan on 3 February. In the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, countries have been implementing restrictive measures to curb the spread of the novel virus, leaving multiple cruise ships stranded at sea. Three of those ships have been left in limbo with confirmed coronavirus cases on board. The ship was denied ports of entry amid the global COVID-19 outbreak and has been anchored off the coast of Panama with 138 passengers and crew reporting flu-like symptoms.

ABC News

"We are sincerely sorry that your voyage has come to such an abrupt end," the letter read. "If you have cruised with Holland America Line before you know this is absolutely not how we endeavor to treat our guests or have their cruise experience go." The Silver Explorer has been in quarantine off the port of Castro after a British citizen onboard the ship contracted COIVD-19. While it is unclear when the vessel will depart, traveling through the canal will allow it to reach Florida two days sooner. In a statement, the Panama Canal said that all journeys through the system required their staff to board ships and restrictions on ships with Covid-19 outbreaks were in place to protect workers.

Stranded cruise passengers in Africa race to rejoin their ship - CNN

Stranded cruise passengers in Africa race to rejoin their ship.

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It was trying to get to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after being denied permission to dock at its original destination in Chile a week ago. My mum had an existing cough and for this reason she was refused on the rescue boat and kept on the ‘sick ship’ Zaandam. Passenger Laura Gabaroni Huergo of Florida has been issuing pleas for government assistance for days from the cabin she’s sharing with her husband, but she said the bad news announced on the ship Friday left her speechless and fearful. Most of the major cruise operators register their companies in countries such as Panama and Liberia, thereby avoiding most US taxes and labor laws. Thus, the cruise industry’s trade group said on Thursday the companies will not have access to the US aid for large employers, according to the Washington Post.

"We're now on a mystery cruise because we have no idea where we're going," he told Business Insider. The Celebrity Eclipse will embark on a 10-day journey to San Diego after being turned away from a port in Chile on Sunday. Panama is battling the largest outbreak in the region, with 786 cases and 14 deaths as of Friday. “Those who are confined were quarantined in a five square metre cabin, given only three small pieces of bread and a small amount of cereals,” she said, adding there is a lack of water, fresh air and two people are confined to each cabin room. The wife of one of the 85 crew members in isolation with flu-like symptoms on the Zaandam expressed concerns about the conditions for staff.

The Pacific Princess embarked on its 111-day voyage with uncertainty

However, Australia closed its ports to cruise ships in the hopes of curbing coronavirus infection, now its next move remains uncertain. It's been left with nowhere to go since the Chilean port banned cruise ships from entering its ports. The cruise ship attempted to dock after its parent company Celebrity Cruises announced it would be suspending all cruising operations globally on Saturday due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. The ship has kept its 2,600 passengers and 1,100 crew on the boat since arriving at Akaroa Harbor in New Zealand since Sunday, according to The Straits Times.

Passengers on a cruise ship stranded off the coast of Panama have issued a desperate plea to be allowed to dock after four people died during a covid-19 outbreak on board. Meanwhile a report from the US Centers for Disease Control this week laid the blame on cruise ships for spreading the virus in the crucial early weeks of the outbreak, linking hundreds of cases to the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess. Sailing around Cape Horn and cutting through the Panama Canal were both on the itinerary for passengers, along with a number of day trips at ports throughout South America.

Bessler said she has struggled to get information from either the cruise company or from US government officials. She worries that Florida may become overrun by Covid-19 cases by the time the ship arrives there in two weeks. Any guests who suffer breathing problems will be screened for coronavirus, the company said.

As the Rotterdam pulled alongside the Zaandam in darkness Thursday night, passengers exchanged photos and cheered each other on a Facebook group created for the ship. Australian passenger David Holst said today that the ship's captain had not yet revealed where the Westerdam was going next. Zaandam will make a service call on March 20 in Valparaiso, Chile, for fuel and provisioning.

The Zaandam is one of at least 10 ships around the world – carrying nearly 10,000 passengers – still stuck at sea after having been turned away from their destination ports in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Guardian analysis. One passenger, Bev Thurbin, said the ship had been denied entry to the Philippines and then to Taiwan over virus fears. Princess Cruises announced on March 12 it would pause its global operations for 60 days. "Current voyages that are underway and extend beyond March 17 will be ended at the most convenient location for guests, factoring in operational requirements," read a statement on Princess Cruises website.

The ship is steaming up the coast of South America, hoping to make it through the Panama Canal and on to the US. But the Florida port, where many of the passengers had planned to disembark on the final leg of the cruise, has refused to confirm that the ship can dock. Four other ships are scheduled to arrive in Japan this month, and would also be asked to turn back if infections are reported on board, Abe said. But Japan wrecked those plans yesterday by announcing it would use immigration laws to block the entry of foreign passengers from the ship. The vessel then sailed to Japan, with the cruise operator saying that passengers would disembark in Yokohama rather than Shanghai as initially planned. The Westerdam left Hong Kong on February 1, with 687 passengers remaining on board from a previous voyage.