"Two ships carrying passengers and crew from an ill-fated South American cruise are pleading with Florida officials to let them carry off the sick and dead"

“Two ships carrying passengers and crew from an ill-fated South American cruise are pleading with Florida officials to let them carry off the sick and dead, but Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida's health care resources are already stretched too thin.

“As the Zaandam and its sister ship the Rotterdam make for Florida, passengers confined to their rooms are anxious for relief, hoping DeSantis will change his mind and allow them to disembark despite confirmed coronavirus cases aboard.

“The governor said he has been in contact with the Coast Guard and the White House about diverting them, and local officials were meeting Tuesday to decide whether to let them dock at Broward County's Port Everglades cruise ship terminal, where workers who greet passengers were among Florida's first confirmed coronavirus cases.
“Holland America said the Rotterdam took on nearly 1,400 people who appear to be healthy, leaving 450 guests and 602 crew members on the Zaandam, including more than 190 who said they are sick. More than 300 U.S. citizens are on both ships combined.
“‘We cannot afford to have people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources,’ DeSantis told Fox News. ‘We view this as a big, big problem and we do not want to see people dumped in Southern Florida right now.’
“‘Already four guests have passed away and I fear other lives are at risk,’ Holland America President Orlando Ashford wrote. ‘The COVID-19 situation is one of the most urgent tests of our common humanity. To slam the door in the face of these people betrays our deepest human values.’

“With authorities in country after country sealing borders and imposing quarantines in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Zaandam and then its sister ship became pariahs. Passengers were asked to keep their rooms dark and leave their drapes closed as they passed through the Panama Canal on Sunday night after days of wrangling with local authorities…

“At least two of the four deaths on the Zaandam were caused by the coronavirus, according to Panamanian authorities. The company said eight others have tested positive for COVID-19, and that most of the passengers and crew on both ships appear to be in good health…

“The ship originally was scheduled to travel 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 Zaandam was denied entry by South American ports, even before passengers reported their first flu-like symptoms on March 22.

“Canal administrator Ricaurte Vásquez said Panama allowed them through for humanitarian reasons, but won't make another exception for vessels with positive coronavirus cases…”

For the entire story, click here.