'Floating around the ocean': A Westerdam cruise ship has been turned away by 5 countries despite no passengers testing positive for coronavirus
- On Tuesday, Thailand became the fifth country to deny entry to the Westerdam luxury liner amid coronavirus fears.
- The luxury liner departed Hong Kong on February 1 and set sail on a 14-day cruise to Taiwan and Japan.
- Although Westerdam operator, Holland America Line, says none of its 1,455 guests and 802 crew members have coronavirus, the ship has already been turned away by Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and the US territory of Guam.
- The World Health Organization said Thai officials may board the ship to investigate the passengers' health conditions before deciding whether they should be "allowed to eventually disembark in Thailand."
- Some passengers are growing extremely concerned after being stranded at sea, while others are trying to keep their spirits up.
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The Westerdam luxury liner is in limbo after it was denied entry to port by yet another country as panic about the deadly coronavirus mounts.
Thailand is the latest country to block the cruise ship's passengers from disembarking. It has previously been turned away by ports in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and the US territory of Guam.
Operated by Holland America Line, the Westerdam departed Hong Kong on February 1 and set sail on a 14-day cruise to Taiwan and Japan. It has 1,455 guests and 802 crew members on board, its website says.
As of Tuesday, the National Health Commission in Beijing, China, reported that more than 42,600-plus people have been infected by coronavirus. More than 1,000 people have died since the illness was first reported on December 31. It is this soaring number of cases that's stoked fear among Thai officials even though the Westerdam's website says: "The ship is not in quarantine and there are no known cases of coronavirus on board."
'Permission to dock refused'
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul directed officials to prevent Westerdam passengers from alighting at Laem Chabang, writing on Facebook, "I have issued orders. Permission to dock refused," according to The New York Times. Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate echoed the sentiment on Facebook, but said that the country is prepared to help the ship with food, medicines, and fuel.
The World Health Organization, however, offered some hope to weary travelers by saying that Thai officials "may seek to board the ship to determine the health status of passengers and crew, to determine whether they would be allowed to eventually disembark in Thailand," according to a statement reported by Bloomberg.
Holland America Line, which is owned by Carnival Corporation, says on its blog that guests are "safe and well cared for," and have been provided with free internet and phone access.
"The ship has sufficient fuel and food provisions to last until the end of the voyage," Holland America Line officials wrote, noting, "This is a very dynamic situation as we continue to manage around evolving and changing restrictions in the region."
'Back in limbo again'
Passenger Stephen Hansen, who is traveling with his wife, told Bloomberg that news of passengers possibly being allowed to disembark in Thailand was met with great relief on Monday - and a rush to book flights home. That fell flat on Tuesday.
"To have that snatched away at the last minute with no other solution at hand was very upsetting so we are back in limbo again," said Hansen, of Canada.
His daughter, Maren Hansen, began a Twitter campaign to raise awareness of the Westerdam's plight and bring her parents and other passengers home.
Scott Willet is also using Twitter to make a public appeal to US government officials to help rescue the estimated 600 American passengers. He said that his daughter "needs medical attention," but didn't specify for what.
Steve Muth, from Michigan, told the Detroit Free Press that the cruise had been a way for him and his family to celebrate good health and a college graduation. But this turn of events has been extremely stressful.
"We are floating around the ocean," he said. "We've been denied, essentially, every port, every country since leaving Hong Kong."
'Cruise life is anything but boring'
By contrast, Christina Kerby's social media posts - in which she's reported on the ship's peanut butter supplies and cereal rations, wonders about the ice cream flavor of the day, and laments her inevitable weight gain - are laced with humor. "Cruise life is anything but boring," she tweeted.
To help pass the time, she is learning how to fold bath towels into decorative shapes and has joined a "Westerdam cycling club" that has likely ridden hundreds of nautical miles as they wait for information and to disembark, Kerby wrote.
She also thanked Westerdam's staff, making special mention of the fact that many crew members are from the Phillippines. Being unable to dock there meant some missed out on the chance to be introduced to their newborn children, Kerby tweeted.
Travel woes on the rise as coronavirus worsens
As coronavirus fears escalate, cruise ships - often with thousands on board and uncertainty about where some of the passengers may have traveled or who they may have come in contact with - have been in the spotlight in recent weeks.
On February 3, the Diamond Princess, which has 3,700 people on board, docked at Yokohama's Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal and was issued a 14-day quarantine. On Monday, the number of coronavirus cases on the cruise ship shot up from 70, as previously reported, to 136, prompting Indian crew members to beg their government to rescue them before they, too, get infected.
Last Friday, 27 Chinese nationals were escorted off the Anthem of the Seas in Bayonne, New Jersey, to be tested for coronavirus and four were hospitalized. The cruise ship, which is part of Royal Caribbean's fleet and was carrying 4,100-plus crew and passengers back from the Bahamas, was forced to delay another cruise scheduled for later the same day.
Within hours, the company had also banned all passport-holders from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau from boarding its ships and enforced other restrictions.
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