The Broward County Commission continued to wrangle over the fate of the Holland America Cruise Ship Zaandam, which has the bodies of four people who died of COVID-19 and over 200 sick people on board. Many of the people on the ship are confined to their cabins.
The Commission agreed to delay the vote on whether or not to allow the ship to dock at Port Everglades.
Most of the commissioners who attended the meeting did so in an online format because of the coronavirus pandemic. They expressed their concern for the people confined to the ship. But members also said it is important to protect the residents of Broward County.
Mayor Dale Holness said there needs to be more discussion on the situation and a unified solution. Commissioner Michael Udine said it should be up to Broward to solve this problem and that the federal government should be involved.
Meanwhile, 2,500 passengers are trapped in their cabins as over 200 people on the ship are sick with coronavirus symptoms. Only 42 passengers aboard were reported to be sick on Mar. 24.
El desesperado ruego de los pasajeros del crucero MS Zaandam que piden desembarcar en la Florida: hay cuatro muertos y nueve con coronavirus https://t.co/XBn7AovAym
— Infobae Colombia (@infobaecolombia) April 1, 2020
@GovRonDeSantis I beg you do do everything in your power to protect the good people aboard the @HALcruises #zaandam cruise ships headed to @PortEverglades, including the 300+ American Citizens and 24 Florida residents. Their blood is on your hands. #covid19 #coronavirus
— Ximena (@ximena123) April 1, 2020
“The new rules require daily updates on each ship’s coronavirus caseload for vessels in U.S. waters, and come with a stiff warning: Any foreign-flagged vessels “that loiter beyond U.S. territorial seas” should try first to medically evacuate the very sick to those countries instead,” according to the Associated Press.
Medical facilities in the Port of Miami are no longer accepting Medically Evacuated patients due to limited hospital capacity, according to the U.S. Coast Gaurd.
We are told sick passengers are on the Zaandam, and healthy passengers were transferred to sister ship Rotterdam. A passenger sent me this photo this morning. You can see the little tender – they say it is transporting a nurse from Rotterdam to Zaandam to help a sick passenger. pic.twitter.com/mbJa1UbLAF
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) April 1, 2020