Florida Gov DeSantis gives coronavirus update
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gives coronavirus update.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that officials in Broward County had not yet made a decision regarding whether or not to allow the docking of two Holland America cruise liners – the Zaandam and the Rotterdam – after 200 passengers and crew on the Zaandam exhibited flu-like symptoms.
The governor had said earlier this week that allowing the ship to dock would be a “mistake."
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“As many of you know, there's some cruise ships that people are monitoring, bearing on to southern Florida," DeSantis said on Wednesday. "I obviously am not in control of the port that is run by the counties, in this case, Broward County, and I know they're in consultation with the cruise ships. Clearly we're going to be willing to accept any Floridians that are on board. My understanding is that most of the passengers are foreign nationals. I think that they're working on ways to deal with that.”
DeSantis added that he was concerned about hospital space and resources for any incoming patients.
He said Broward County officials were currently “working toward a solution” and added that he recently spoke with President Trump, who is also hoping to “see a solution.”
“I think that there will probably be some more developments on that today," DeSantis shared.
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In a news release issued earlier on Wednesday, Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine had said that county officials had discussed the situation on Tuesday with the region’s Unified Command, which consists of members of the Coast Guard, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Customs and Border Protection, Florida Department of Health officials and the management of Port Everglades, where the ships are likely hoping to dock.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that officials in Broward County had not yet decided on whether or not to allow the docking of two Holland America cruise liners — the Zaandam and the Rotterdam — after 200 passengers and crew on the Zaandam had been exhibiting flu-like symptoms. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
“At that time, the Unified Command advised that a suitable plan had not been presented yet that allows the ship to enter United States waters, secure a berth at the Port, and to protect the public,” Udine wrote.
The Broward County Commissioner said the Unified Command, along with representatives of the cruise line, are working toward “a solution that protects all,” but added that “this situation should have been given direct guidelines from emergency managers in the federal government.”
Udine also indicated that he believed the situation was shuffled off onto local officials and jurisdictions, without help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“We need experts from the CDC and FEMA to do their jobs and outline a plan that takes the passengers out of limbo and does not play politics," he said.
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The Zaandam and the Rotterdam are currently awaiting guidance on entering U.S. waters and docking. The Zaandam has been at sea since March 7, but was denied docking in South America after Holland America suspended all cruise operations on March 13. On March 22, a day after the cruise was scheduled to end, Holland America confirmed that passengers and crew members began to start exhibiting “influenza-like illness symptoms.”
As for the Rotterdam, it was dispatched to rendezvous with the Zaandam to deliver supplies and COVID-19 testing kits. Some of the passengers later tested positive.
Holland America confirmed the death of four “older” passengers last Thursday.
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The cruise line confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that since March 22, a total of 83 guests and 118 crew members had reported flu-like symptoms, but that only 14 guests and one crew member were still showing those symptoms.