Groups of passengers aboard two Holland America cruise ships that docked in Port Everglades on Thursday are being transferred ashore for transport back to their homes, the cruise line reported Friday.
The Zaandam and Rotterdam cruise ships had been in a state of limbo since national borders began closing without warning as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and Florida's governor initially expressed reluctance at allowing the ships to dock in Florida. A total of 107 passengers have reported flu-like symptoms since March 22, according to the cruise line.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, Port Everglades Unified Command, Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry and all governmental and embassy authorities who helped to resolve this situation and get our nearly 1,200 guests home,” Holland America said in a statement on Friday that was emailed to the Florida Record.
International passengers and U.S. residents deemed fit to travel will be taken in groups to the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday and Saturday, according to a statement from Broward County Mayor Dale Holness. They will be transferred to charter flights under health precautions recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the statement said.
Florida residents aboard the ships will return home by private cars, according to Holland America. Once everyone arrives home, they will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
Holness’s office reports that 15 people requiring immediate critical care would be taken to a local health system for treatment.
And passengers with COVID-19 symptoms will remain aboard the cruise ships, according to Holland America. They will leave only when they have fully recovered and meet CDC guidelines for travel, the cruise line said, but the ships’ medical staffs will continue to care for them.
A total of 143 crew members on the Zaandam cruise ship also have flu-like symptoms, Holland America reports.
“These travelers could have been any one of us or our families, unexpectedly caught in the middle of this unprecedented closure of global borders that happened in a matter of days and without warning,” Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line, said in a prepared statement.