'Help us': After deaths on coronavirus-hit ship, guests clamor to leave

[rooster59]

'Help us': After deaths on coronavirus-hit ship, guests clamor to leave

By Elida Moreno

 

Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City, Panama March 27, 2020. Chris Joiner/Handout via REUTERS

 

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Four passengers have died on a cruise ship off the Pacific coast of Panama and more than 130 others aboard are suffering from influenza-like symptoms, at least two of whom have the coronavirus, the vessel's operator said on Friday.

 

Holland America Line said in a statement that the MS Zaandam, previously on a South American cruise, was trying to transit the Panama Canal and make its way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. But Panama's government has denied it access to the canal for sanitary reasons, leaving passengers and crew wondering when they will get home.

 

Chris Joiner, 59, a retiree from Ottawa, Ontario, told Reuters the cruise had turned into a "nightmare."

 

He was worried that he and his wife, Anna, also 59, would be forced to stay aboard for an undetermined time because she had a cough, after cruise operators said they would soon transfer healthy passengers to the Zaandam's sister ship, the Rotterdam, which is now alongside the vessel in Panamanian waters.

 

"We're isolated. We're stuck on this ship. We can't go anywhere because we're not healthy, I guess," said Joiner, who took a selfie in his cabin with a piece of paper on which he had written "HELP US" in a bid for attention from the media and the Canadian government.

 

A ship official told passengers on Friday morning via a public address system that one guest had died several days ago, followed by two deaths on Thursday and another overnight, according to a recording heard by Reuters.

 

The four dead were "older guests," the operator said.

 

Passengers said the announcement was the first time they had been made aware of the deaths on the 238-meter (781-foot) vessel.

 

The Zaandam departed Argentina on March 7 and had been scheduled to end its journey in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21. Nobody has disembarked from the ship since it docked in Punta Arenas on the southern coast of Chile nearly two weeks ago.

 

There are 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board, as well as four doctors and four nurses, the cruise operator said.

 

Holland America is owned by Carnival Corp <CCL.N>. Carnival's Princess Cruises earlier this month said it was suspending voyages for two month, after two of its ocean liners that had been quarantined became hotbeds for coronavirus infections.

 

"SITTING DUCKS"

 

The ship official said a number of patients were tested on Thursday after the ship received virus testing kits. In another public address on Friday afternoon, also heard by Reuters, he said the situation appeared to be improving.

 

"Some positive news, we have started to see a leveling off of guests reporting symptoms to the medical center," the official said, adding that staff had distributed one surgical mask per person. He urged passengers to keep them clean because he did not know when more would arrive.

 

Ian Rae, a London-based Scotsman on the ship with his wife, said most passengers were coping "pretty well" despite being in self-isolation since last Sunday.

 

"It's probably not an awful lot worse than the people back in the UK or anywhere else in the world at the moment," Rae, a 73-year-old grandfather of four, told Reuters by phone.

 

Rae, who said he and others had informed the UK government of their predicament via email, said he understood there were 229 British passengers on board. Other guests included Americans, Canadians and Australians as well as Germans, Italians, French, Spanish and New Zealanders, he said.

 

Relatives are getting nervous.

 

"It's terrifying that no plan has been made for them and there are British nationals on this ship who need help," Hayley Johnson, whose 90-year-old grandfather and 75-year-old grandmother are on board, wrote on Twitter. Johnson said she was especially worried about her grandmother, a Type 1 diabetic.

 

All ports along the Zaandam's South American route were closed to cruise ships, Holland America said.

 

Some 53 guests and 85 crew have reported to the ship's medical center with flu-like symptoms, it added.

 

"If they can just find a port to dock it would be a huge relief. The fact they're just sitting on board a ship, it's like they're sitting ducks," said Neil Bedford, whose British parents, aged 65 and 63, are on board.

 

Panama's health ministry has not given permission for the ship to pass through the waterway, said Ricaurte Vasquez, the Panama Canal Authority's administrator. Positive coronavirus tests made on board would mean putting the ship in quarantine, he said.

 

(Reporting by Elida Moreno in Panama City; Raul Cortes Fernandez, Dave Graham and Frank Jack Daniel in Mexico City; Cath Turner in Los Angeles; Writing by Dave Graham and Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-28

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

[FarFlungFalang]

What a sad state of affairs denying help to those in need.

[RJRS1301]

I am curious why denied entry to the canal, surely the captain has clearance to navigate the canal without a pilot from shore?

Surely restriction regarding discharge of waste etc in canal which no ship would do I presume, would mitigate contamination

 

Where is the risk, can someone explain this to my simple mind please?

 

[Phuketshrew]

All of the cruise ships should have been grounded at least a month ago.

[lannarebirth]

11 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

I am curious why denied entry to the canal, surely the captain has clearance to navigate the canal without a pilot from shore?

Surely restriction regarding discharge of waste etc in canal which no ship would do I presume, would mitigate contamination

 

Where is the risk, can someone explain this to my simple mind please?

 

 

A pilot IS necessary, often more than one, also line handlers, sometimes locomotives and tugs, and lots and lots of cigarrettes.

[donnacha]

44 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Nobody has disembarked from the ship since it docked in Punta Arenas on the southern coast of Chile nearly two weeks ago.

That was around St. Patrick's Day. By then, everyone knew that the whole world was in deep trouble, the Diamond Princess had already been quarantined since the beginning of February.

Surely that stop would have been the perfect opportunity to catch a flight back to London for around £400 each.

People are insane.

 

[mtls2005]

Screw them.

 

Bail out Carnival, Royal Carribean, Princess...

[Berkshire]

59 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The Zaandam departed Argentina on March 7 and had been scheduled to end its journey in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21.

I can't believe people are still going on cruise ships.  After multiple reports of COVID on ships, passengers being stranded at sea for weeks, then having to go on quarantine...etc.  What the heck is wrong with these people?

[RJRS1301]

41 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

A pilot IS necessary, often more than one, also line handlers, sometimes locomotives and tugs, and lots and lots of cigarrettes.

Thanks, I would have thought that captains would have had clearance to navigate the canal, but now I know better

[Nyezhov]

Taking a cruise two weeks ago in the face of all this was stupid. 

[kevin612]

They should be aware of the covid 19  before onboard the ship. Each country is busy with its covid 19 cases, good luck.

[The Farang]

Not only was it stupid, it is selfish of them to go on a cruise when you know many other cruises had been grounded because of the virus.   They would risk infecting everyone else when they get to their destination just to go on a holiday then play victim when they get stuck.  Not sympathy from me.  

[bkk6060]

Foolish people.

No sympathy.

[NoBrainer]

Typical Canucks. I guess they don't read the news.

 

"The Zaandam departed Argentina on March 7 and had been scheduled to end its journey in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21"

 

By March 7th it was well known all around the world that cruise ships were a hot bed for Corona Virus infection cases.

So who's bright idea was it to get on a cruise ship for a 2 week cruise? Some people are really lacking in common sense, it

is amazing to read stories like this.

 

In hindsite, i am sure they now know that it was an extremely poor decision to ignore all of the warnings, and just carry on like

nothing was happening.

 

[nobodysfriend]

Sorry for these passengers , they are in a truly horrible situation , I hope they get help soon ...

 

Anyway , I think the next G7 meeting should be held on a ( super luxury ) cruise ship ... and all the stewards should be tested positive ...

[Kelsall]

5 hours ago, donnacha said:

That was around St. Patrick's Day. By then, everyone knew that the whole world was in deep trouble, the Diamond Princess had already been quarantined since the beginning of February.

Surely that stop would have been the perfect opportunity to catch a flight back to London for around £400 each.

People are insane.

 

Some people are so cheap they won't use common sense.  They will want "He saved £400" on their gravestones.

[sanemax]

I cannot believe how stupid some people can be . 

Going on a cruise in this current climate !!!!!!!

I was due to go on a cruise this summer but I cancelled it . 

Decided to go to Wuhan instead, I hear they that have some wonderful soups there 

[RickTik]

Brothers and Sisters stuck on the cruise ship, make peace with your maker. ✌  

[Thingamabob]

I went on a cruise around the Med years ago. Never again.

[mayview]

I can't imagine taking a cruise on a ship with all the stories of desperation and unknown disembarkation allowance in instances of viral outbreak. There have been anecdotes of doctors and health workers wondering how infectious disease can possibly be contained in such chaotic environments. The leisure cruise industry has to show a plan and strategy if they want thinking customers to consider this mode of travel in the future. I presume military hospital ships would be a good model to examine and to consult with specialist maritime epidemiologists, specialist health professionals and engineers on safe workable ship layouts and assignments that would enable effective management in such situations.

[connda]

They can't be helped.  Affected cruise ships are like petri dishes where scientists can study the this virus in close environment.  

Needless to say the cruise ship industry is probably sailing over the horizon. 

[natway09]

That cruise ship going into Fremantle, all the passengers can consider themselves lucky that the Government is going to put them on Rotto in quarantine.

Rotto for those that do not know is more like a resort than a quarantine  station

How many more idiots are there on cruise ships right now?

The owners should be drawn & quartered

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

What a sad state of affairs denying help to those in need.

 

That's true... But you also have to consider, a lot of countries including the U.S., and many more far less advanced, can't even begin to take care of all the CV sick people they already have on land in their own countries. Nor are they looking to potentially import foreign tourists who may further spread the virus....

 

Thus these CV-infected ships become floating pariahs.... until there's a way to repatriate these people back to their many different home countries.

 

 

[mjnaus]

It truly amazes my how ignorant, dumb and outright stupid people can be. The entire world has gradually gone on lockdown; this has been developing for several months now... and people still decide to go on a freakin' cruise? I mean, come on people!! We're in the middle of a global pandemic, the worst in generations, and you decide it's a good idea to spend a week or more sharing air with hundreds/thousands of strangers? Unless these people boarded the cruise ship months ago, I'd say this was your decision, you deal with the consequences. I know that sounds hard, but the world is full of people suffering without having themselves to blame...

[Letseng]

12 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

What a sad state of affairs denying help to those in need.

Go on a cruise on 7 March was careless. Why should their government = taxpayer help?

[tingtong]

My sympathy for the crew.

 

Even with virus outbreak they still handled like second category human, made to work/serve with inferior protection, and clear high risk of getting infection.

 

Even when in the end guests can land, crew often not, even with expired contracts, like they are sub-human or what.

 

Signing up a job isn't signing away all human rights, and only hope this will finally be a huge slap on the cruise industry how they handle their business.

 

 

[Iron Tongue]

Did you know all sea-going cruise ships have a morgue below decks? 

Even before covid-19, it was almost guaranteed that some of the senior passengers would pass away while on board.

 

Never was interested in being stuck on a ship with so many people.

[RJRS1301]

9 hours ago, Letseng said:

Go on a cruise on 7 March was careless. Why should their government = taxpayer help?

Human kindness, even people who make poor decisons, deserve to be treated well, and offered assistance

A society can be judged on how we treat our most vulnerable.

 

[delgarcon]

23 hours ago, Berkshire said:

I can't believe people are still going on cruise ships.  After multiple reports of COVID on ships, passengers being stranded at sea for weeks, then having to go on quarantine...etc.  What the heck is wrong with these people?

I've been inundated with e-mails from Carnival cruises for the last 2 or 3 months, with unprecedented special offers and some of these people have probably taken the risk of booking. Carnival cruises should be held to account for their irresponsibility. It's not only Thailand that puts money before everything else!

[Nyezhov]

16 minutes ago, delgarcon said:

I've been inundated with e-mails from Carnival cruises for the last 2 or 3 months, with unprecedented special offers and some of these people have probably taken the risk of booking. Carnival cruises should be held to account for their irresponsibility. It's not only Thailand that puts money before everything else!

Yeah, Carnival just forced these folks to take a cruise. Shanghaied them like  they would grab some meek clerk drinking Mickey Finns in Seamus O'Learys blind pig, "The Bucket o Blood", on Water Street.

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Nyezhov