U.S. Cruise Ship Finally Docks in Cambodia After Being Denied Entry 5 Times Over COVID-19 Fears

The cruise ship Westerdam docked in Cambodia Thursday morning, a relief to the 2,000 passengers and crew on board after the ship was denied entry to five ports over fears of a potential outbreak of COVID-19. Global panic over the novel coronavirus prompted Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and the U.S. territory of Guam, to deny the Westerdam entry despite no one on board being diagnosed with the deadly illness. Holland American Line, the cruise operator, said it will charter flights to transfer passengers from the coastal city of Sihanoukvilleover to Phnom Penh over the next few days. From there, the passengers will be flown home at the cruise line’s expense. The Westerdam was the latest cruise ship to be caught in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. The virus-stricken ship Diamond Princess has been under quarantine at the Yokohama Bay in Japan since Feb. 5 and infections aboard continue to rise. At least 218 of the 3,700 passengers and crew are confirmed infected with COVID-19. That makes the ship by far the biggest cluster of the coronavirus outside mainland China. Last week, passengers on the World Dream cruise ship in Hong Kong were held for four days after the company learned that three passengers who had sailed on the vessel earlier were confirmed to have the virus. All passengers were finally allowed to disembark on Monday after all crew tested negative for the virus. https://twitter.com/Mountain_AJ/status/1227207546785718272 Globally, more than 60...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 onetime overnight Travel Source Type: news