Cruise ship with coronavirus outbreak sails to uncertain Florida welcome

[question everything]

Source: Reuters

A Dutch cruise ship that has been in limbo since cases of the coronavirus were confirmed onboard faces an uncertain welcome at its planned destination in Florida, where the governor says he does not want sick passengers “dumped” on the state.

Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam was allowed to pass through the Panama Canal on Sunday. It had been stuck off Panama’s Pacific coast after the company announced the vessel had confirmed cases of the coronavirus on board and that four guests had died. Company president Orlando Ashford urged authorities to allow people off the ship, describing the situation as a “test of our humanity.”

Zaandam guests that passed screening - nearly two-thirds - were moved to its sister ship Rotterdam before transiting the canal. Both ships are now bound for Fort Lauderdale but it remains unclear who will be allowed to disembark in Florida, where concerns about the coronavirus are mounting.

“We cannot afford to have people who aren’t even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told Fox News on Monday, referring to the state’s medical facilities and hospital capacity. DeSantis told a news conference on Monday the best solution was to send medical help onto Zaandam.


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-cruise-zaandam/cruise-ship-with-coronavirus-outbreak-sails-to-uncertain-florida-welcome-idUSKBN21I3CV

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But DeSabtus loves all the cruise ships that constantly dock at Florida ports, just as he likes all the New York snow birds and tourists. During normal times.

He should try to work something out with the cruise line.

[MontanaMama]

1. Hell, since he won't close FL beaches...

Maybe the ship should run aground and let everybody out there. Kidding. But kinda not.

[Phoenix61]

2. What a POS. Had no problem letting all the

Spring Breakers in. He still hasn’t closed all the beaches. Amazing how so many here like to be all Christian until it means having to actually act like a Christian.

[customerserviceguy]

3. I'm a bit surprised

that the owners of this ship didn't try to work something out with Oakland, CA, which seemed able to handle one of those Princess cruises a week or two ago. The ship was in the Pacific, they could have been to Oakland by now.

[jberryhill]

4. Because Holland America is owned by Royal Caribbean

And they've got the whole fleet there.

That business brings in BILLIONS to South Florida.

They are parking them all there.

[customerserviceguy]

6. Then it's on them

to pay Florida whatever it takes to get these people off the ship. While I think it's stupid to take a cruise, even before this, those folks have suffered enough.

[jberryhill]

10. They do pay Florida

How much revenue does Carnival generate down there?

https://spacecoastdaily.com/2019/12/watch-port-canaveral-earned-3-9-billion-revenue-and-produced-32650-jobs-from-cruise-tourism/

The sea hub in Central Florida , which is the second-busiest cruise port in the world, has an economic contribution throughout the state of Florida in the past year totaling $3.9 billion, producing 32,650 jobs and $1.3 billion in wages, based on a Business Research & Economic Advisors study, which also noted that the activity across all business lines resulted in $1.94 billion in direct impact in the Central Florida economy, which contributed to the direct employment of more than 17,200 workers who received $729.4 million in wages.

The cruise segment of Port Canaveral alone generated $1.3 billion in economic impact and supported 12,964 regional jobs paying $516.6 million in annual wages.

[OriginalGeek]

8. HA is owned by Carnival Corp

but your point still stands.

[jberryhill]

9. Whoops. Still Florida

[OriginalGeek]

11. Yessir

CCL and RC both have headquarters buildings in Miami. Port of Miami and the port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale just up the road are the largest cruise ports in America. they losing bank-loads of money right now.

[customerserviceguy]

12. Is there a major cruise line

that Carnival doesn't own?

[OriginalGeek]

18. There are a few lol

Royal Caribbean, Disney, MSC, Viking, Crystal and and lot of smaller high-end luxury lines. (Although RC and CCL own a few of those too).

Viking was doing a 3 month cruise that stopped at every continent and that would be a dream cruise for me lol. But I'll need a much bigger government stimulus check for that.

[question everything]

5. It came from Chile to cross the Paname Canal to Florida

and for a while was not allowed to enter the Canal.

I am sure that things have changed dramatically in Oakland since then. CA is now at "shelter at home" so I don't think it would allow it. At least Florida has been the original destination.

[Submariner]

7. Has Trump sent out his welcoming committee to shoo them away to protect his poll numbers?

[keithbvadu2]

13. DeSantis, Have you talked with the Trumpvirus czar, a guy named Pence?

DeSantis, Have you talked with the Trumpvirus czar, a guy named Pence?

[Hulk]

14. desantis is a chip off the rotten cheeto's head....

he doesn't want the extra numbers in his state. Honest to God, human lives don't mean shit to these sick bastards.

Can you imagine being stuck on that ship???

[IronLionZion]

15. This may be the end of the cruise industry

I don't see people booking cruises for a while after this mess. Florida is going to lose billions in revenue whether they help these people or not. But since DeSantis is a POS, he'll choose not to help.

[Initech]

17. I say we burn and incinerate all existing cruise ships after this.

And then build all new ones from scratch with better air circulation and germ-killing methods. Just my two cents.

[Demonaut]

16. it will sail to the Comfort in NY