Holland America's Zaandam is at sea hoping to be allowed to cross the Panama Canal and up to Fort Lauderdale.(Holland America/Courtesy)
The cruise ship was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime, far away from Asia where the coronavirus was raging out of control.
Twelve hundred eager passengers set sail March 7 from Argentina for
a 14-day cruise offering an itinerary full of magnificent passages and upscale dining.
Now, days after the passengers were supposed to be back on land, four people are dead, two have just tested positive for the new coronavirus and the number of passengers and crew with flu-like symptoms has nearly doubled to 138 in just three days.
To make matters worse Holland America’s Zaandam is basically adrift at sea, a boat with dozens of sick people and no clear sign of where it can go.
Earlier this week it seemed bound for Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades by Monday. But that, too,
is up in the air.
Chile, the ship’s original final destination, turned the sick ship away.
Panamanian officials are signaling they may not allow the ship passage through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean Sea if anyone on board has the coronavirus. Without passage, it cannot get to the East Coast.
The Zaandam, with 305 Americans on board including
Doris and Cliff Kolber of South Florida, is in many ways a metaphor for this country.
To the Kolbers, the ship set sail under sunny skies, a symbol of majestic strength that coronavirus would do no harm after widespread news coverage of the virus spreading to various parts of the globe.
On the day it left port, Robert Redfield, the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was in Broward County, encouraging people to go about their lives and not be saddled by fears of the virus. Vice President Mike Pence took it step further when he said people should continue to cruise. In no time, President Donald Trump would take to Twitter to say the virus was a ploy between the news media and the Democratic Party.
The Zaandam now is awash in sickness and death, as is much of the world in the grips of this coronavirus pandemic. Things began to spiral horribly out of control seven days into the trip.
The Kolbers and passengers were told to stay in their cabins, where meals and beer and wine would be delivered three times a day. The arrangement was fine, with the Kolbers taking extra precautions such as turning away treats and drinks that were not under a covered dish.
By Friday, they limited themselves to one meal, afraid of opening the door even for a quick second to retrieve their food. They were told to wear masks if they talk with neighbors on the balcony and to wash their hands continually.
“I am very scared to open my door,” Doris Kolber, 65, said when reached by cellphone.
The Kolbers learned that four fellow passengers were dead Friday when the captain made the grim announcement. The company has not said whether any of the dead on the ship tested positive for the coronavirus.
Some Broward County officials triggered apprehension at the thought of overwhelming local hospitals with sick passengers and crew members.
Erik Elvejord, a Holland America spokesman, said an American, a Swede and people from Great Britain and the Netherlands were dead. Elvejord would not answer questions about how the bodies would be removed from the ship. Of the ship’s plan, he said, “We continue to work with the Panamanian authorities on approval to transit the Panama Canal for sailing to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.”
There are two competing interests to ensure everyone’s safety: The local government has the right to quarantine people, and Holland America has a contract to dock at Port Everglades, said John “Jack” Hickey, a Miami-based maritime trial attorney.
“The question is whether they should exercise that right. Just because you can turn it away or quarantine it does not mean you should," he said. "There may be a better alternative, and the alternative is deal with the people on board.”
“The United States does not seem terribly prepared for this,” he said. “In a perfect world, we should say, ‘Yes, come here, dock here. We’ll institute strict procedures and segregate the sick from the not sick.’”
He says it’s a tough situation. “Eventually they’re going to have to port somewhere. You have to get the people off somewhere, and they’re going to have to deal with them.”
Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine has said that keeping hospital beds and equipment available for sick Broward residents is his priority. He said Friday that no county meeting has been called yet to
take a vote to stop the ship.
He said he is waiting for the official plan “to be put forth by the port leadership, unified command and the cruise company.”
With the ship still days away, he also said he is waiting first to see if the ship will be allowed to pass through the Panama Canal, which is the only way to get to Fort Lauderdale.
“I continue to pray for the health and safety of all involved,” he said Friday.
While Udine has said he was frustrated anybody would take off on a cruise during the pandemic, Cliff Kolber, 72, said he thought they would be fine because their itinerary didn’t include Asia or Europe, and
restrictions in Florida — from schools to businesses — didn’t begin until after the March 7 cruise began.
Still, they avoided ship’s shows to maintain social distancing. “We wanted to be as safe as we could,” he said. “We did the best we could to avoid staying around people.”
The Kolbers are confined to their room, waiting for the next intercom announcement. Cliff Kolber said the ship offered them a 50 percent refund and another 50 percent discount on a future trip. That may not be enough of an incentive.
“No plans to cruise again,” Cliff said.
