Cruise ship passenger on his experience in coronavirus quarantine
Passengers on Coral Princess cruise ship have been quarantined in their rooms amid COVID-19 outbreak.
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A third passenger on the Coral Princess cruise ship has died. The man’s family said he passed away from complications reportedly associated with COVID-19.
Two other passengers died aboard the ship on Friday night and authorities said that 13 others have been hospitalized after the cruise ship docked in Florida on Saturday. They did not immediately disclose if those 13 people had a confirmed coronavirus diagnosis.
The Coral Princess cruise ship arrives at PortMiami during the new coronavirus outbreak on April 4 in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Coral Princess ship docked in Miami on Saturday, carrying over 1,000 passengers and nearly 900 crew members, The Associated Press reported. Fourteen people were hospitalized after disembarkation, and one passenger has since passed away, officials said.
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The family of Wilson Maa, 71, said he died on Saturday night from complications linked to the novel coronavirus, the Miami Herald reported.
The Coral Princess cruise ship arrives at PortMiami during the new coronavirus outbreak on April 4. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
According to the outlet, the man fell ill last Saturday aboard the cruise ship. His wife, Toyling Maa, also soon became sick. Testing confirmed that Wilson had the novel coronavirus, according to his son-in-law Jason Chien.
Wilson’s health began to deteriorate on April 4, and he was transported to Larkin Community Hospital that night around 10 p.m., among the “most sick” evacuated off the vessel. Hours later, he passed away.
Coral Princess cruise crew members looks from their balcony at PortMiami as the coronavirus pandemic continues on April 5. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)
“We are beyond heartbroken and we will miss our father dearly. He was the best husband, father and gong gong [grandfather,]” his family said in a statement,” per the Herald. “We are so lucky to have a father that was so silly, fun, engineering-minded and thoughtful. There are no words for the sorrow we have experienced but only joy for the memories we had with him.”
Toyling remained on the Coral Princess under medical observation, the outlet reported on Sunday.
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Last week, Coral Princess confirmed a dozen positive cases of coronavirus, including seven guests and five crew members. Though it remains unclear if the two other fatalities were due to the virus, the captain confirmed that they were treated in the ship’s medical center.
People look out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami during the new coronavirus outbreak on April 4. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The two other passengers who lost their lives on the ship died on Friday, the outlet claimed.
On Sunday, the cruise ship began disembarking fit passengers who were cleared for charter flights out. Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 or recovering from them, meanwhile, were being kept on ship until medically cleared.
People wearing protective masks look out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami during the new coronavirus outbreak on April 4. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In a statement released on Sunday night, the Miami-Dade County mayor's office did not immediately disclose whether the 14 people from the ship who had been hospitalized had a confirmed coronavirus link.
Passengers who no signs of the illness waited to be taken to the airport via bus on Sunday, but the process moved “slow,” the AP said.
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The procedure was delayed by a new policy the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued overnight, preventing passengers from traveling on commercial flights.
“Princess Cruises continues to work tirelessly to adjust the repatriation plan to meet the new CDC requirements. This will unfortunately result in further delays in disembarkation and onward travel for many guests as we work through this complex, challenging and unfortunate situation,” the cruise ship company said in a statement.
The April 5 disembarkation was limited to passengers cleared for charter flights to California, Australia and the United Kingdom.
A spokesperson for Princess Cruises was not immediately available to offer further comment.
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The Coral Princess had been on a South American cruise that was set to end on March 19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The ship had been in limbo for days, encountering obstacles to docking because of various port closures and cancellation of airline flights, Princess Cruises said.
Fox News’ Peter Aitken and the Associated Press contributed to this report.