A Florida man who tested positive for COVID-19 says he's been stuck on a cruise ship in Italy for 8 weeks

• Taylor Grimes, from Winter Springs, Florida, tested positive for COVID-19 while working for MSC Cruises, and officials won't let him off the ship, he told Florida's WESH.
• For eight weeks he's been aboard an MSC Cruises ship, which is now sitting in an Italian port.
• He told the outlet he needs to have two consecutive COVID-19 tests show he's negative for the virus before they let him off the ship.
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Eight weeks ago, the novel coronavirus pandemic was just starting to take hold of the US. States had begun issuing stay-at-home orders, businesses were starting to close, and people were learning how to stay six feet or farther away from other people.

As millions were infected and hundreds of thousands went on to die from COVID-19 in the following weeks, cities and countries across the world began to look much different. But for one cruise worker from Florida, time has stood still as he's spent the last eight weeks on a ship in at Italian port.

Taylor Grimes, from Winter Springs, Florida, tested positive for COVID-19, and officials won't let him off the ship, he said in an interview with Florida's WESH.

Grimes was working in a jewelry shop on an MSC Cruises ship when the novel coronavirus started to spread across the world in mid-March.

It remains unclear exactly when Grimes first tested positive, but he wrote about the experience in a blog post posted on March 21. He has taken eight tests so far.

"His test results have been positive, positive, negative, positive, negative, positive," his mother, Ann Grimes, told WESH last week, calling the process "maddening."

Grimes is now living in a small crew cabin, according to the outlet, and will not be allowed off the ship until he has two negative tests in a row.

His father, Tom Grimes, told WESH that his son isn't experiencing any symptoms from the virus and that he's concerned about his son's mental well-being more than anything else.

"I am worried about him, not so much physically because he hasn't shown any signs of the virus, but mentally he's on a never-ending roller coaster ride," Tom told the outlet.

Grimes still has no idea when he'll be able to disembark or return home to Florida. Insider has contacted him requesting any updates.

"No day is fun, but some days are better than others and then some days are just the absolute worst," he told WESH.

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