'My big fear is being carried off this ship in a box instead of walking off': An elderly veteran couple trapped aboard coronavirus-stricken cruise says US should help
Hugo Swan Jr., an 81-year-old passenger aboard the MS Zaandam cruise ship, in his and his wife's cabin, March 28, 2020.The remaining passengers are being divided into groups designated for those who are sick and healthy, as the latter are being evacuated to a nearby sister ship, the MS Rotterdam.
Three weeks later, the ship and its passengers had gotten caught in the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world. At least 177 countries andhave reported cases of the COVID-19 virus. The Zaandam, a Holland America Line cruise ship currently anchored off the coast of Panama after being stopped from docking there, became the latest.
"We have no way of knowing when or how many passengers or crew we may have been in contact with without any protection," Swan said, adding: "My big fear is being carried off this ship in a box instead of walking off." There were originally 1,243 guests and 586 crew members on the Zaandam. The resilient couple is used to challenging situations: Both are US Army veterans. Elberta served between 1962 and 1964, and Hugo between 1961 and 1964.
"Despite previous confirmations that guests could disembark in Punta Arenas, Chile, for flights, we were not permitted to do so," Holland America said in a statement on its website. On Friday, a leaked Holland Line memo revealed ports and airports in South America and Central America had been closed off to the Zaandam and that "colleagues, fleet family members, and guests" on board "are in dire need.
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