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Four Dead, Nearly 200 With Flu-Like Symptoms on Cruise Ship En Route to Florida

News
by Eben Diskin Mar 30, 2020

A cruise ship bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is carrying four passengers who have died from the coronavirus. According to a March 29, 2020, update from the Holland American Lines, currently 73 guests and 116 crew members out of the 1,048 passengers have reported flu-like symptoms aboard Zaandam. Two have tested positive for COVID-19.

After a screening, healthy guests were transferred on another Holland American Line ship, Rotterdam, on March 29. Currently, there are 797 guests and 645 crew on Rotterdam.

Both ships have transitioned through the Panama canal and on their way to Florida together. They are expected to dock in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.

Zaandam had departed from Buenos Aires on March 7 and was supposed to end at San Antonio, Chile, on March 21.

Guests have not been on shore since March 14 in Punta Arenas, Chile. They have been self-isolating since March 22.

According to CNN, Zaandam was docked off the coast of Panama for days. The ship has been denied entry from several ports in South America.

The coronavirus outbreak caused the cruise line to suspend operations for 30 days.

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