A Cruise ship known as Zaandam owned by Holland America with 42 sick people, 13 guests, and 29 crew have headed towards Florida.
“Since it is flu season, and COVID-19 testing is not available onboard, it is difficult to determine the cause of these elevated cases at this time,” according to a statement from the cruise line’s website.
The crew members reported that most of the sick people have been showing flu-like symptoms which are similar to the early stages of Corona virus-positive patients.
According to reports coming in the crew asked the guests to remain in their staterooms until they get clear information and guidelines as they sail towards Fort Lauderdale Florida. They are expected to dock not later than 30th March
Zaandam departed Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7, prior to Holland America’s decision to suspend its global cruise operations for 30 days. The trip was scheduled to end in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21.
According to the statement, no one has been off the ship since March 14 after a stop in Puenta Arena, Chile, where guests were initially told they could disembark for flights, but then were not allowed.
There are a total of 1,243 guests and 586 crew onboard the ship.