Luxury cruise ships are still struggling to dock even after a month at sea. Passengers aboard Holland America Line's Rotterdam are stuck inside the rooms and have not been able to reach home even for Easter. The coronavirus restrictions imposed by several governments have led to Holland America being stranded on the sea.
Despite the alarming situation, cruise ships continue to receive bookings, Business Insider reports. Compared to 2019, there has been an increase of 40 per cent in bookings. According to reports, those who had booked for 2020 have sought a future date in 2021 instead of a refund.
Two of the major outbreaks happened on the Carnival Corps ships. The outbreak saw cruise line stocks fall by 80 per cent. There have been Covid-19 outbreaks on many of the cruise ships. Several vessels were stranded at sea for several days before being able to dock and let the passengers disembark.
Passengers from Argentina and Uruguay
Passengers from Argentina and Uruguay were confined to their rooms because of the Argentine government not permitting the ship to let all the passengers back home due to the restrictions. In view of the dangers posed by the sailing of cruise ships during the coronavirus pandemic, the world's major cruise lines have decided to halt sailings.
Passengers began their journey on Zaandam on March 7 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and were stranded at the sea for three weeks as the coronavirus infected around 250 passengers and crew members. Holland America has said that two people have died due to coronavirus. As hundreds were falling sick on Zaandam, several were transferred to Rotterdam. Medical examinations continue on the passengers who are still isolated inside the ship.
Like the Ghost Ship stranded at sea
Similar to that of the movie Ghost Ship, the passengers on the luxury ship are moving with the wave with nowhere to go. After the ship was docked in Fort Lauderdale, on April 2, around 1,200 passengers from Rotterdam and Zaandam were evacuated. The Argentina government declined authorisation for several to fly back to the country.
Holland America has said that 53 people, including crew members, remain on the ship. It is still unclear when these people will be able to go home amid the coronavirus outbreak. The cruise operator has said that the ship might be stalled on the sea for a longer period of time.
A spokesperson from the Argentine foreign ministry told Bloomsberg that the government cannot allow several people to enter the country in a day because of their return from a Covid-19 hotspot. On Friday, April 10, Argentina extended the lockdown till April 26. The health ministry of the country has said that the country has 2,142 cases of Covid-19 and 90 deaths.
