Passengers on Holland America Line's Westerdam cruise ship have been unable to leave the vessel for a majority of the past 10 days, the cruise line, which is owned by Carnival Corp., said in a blog post.
The ship was scheduled to make stops at five ports in Japan during a 14-day cruise that began in Hong Kong on February 1, but was refused entry by the Japanese government. Four other countries or territories, including Taiwan, the Philippines, and Guam, have also prevented the Westerdam from docking at their ports due to fears that its occupants could have the Wuhan coronavirus, Bloomberg reported, citing the World Health Organization.
The ship was allowed to stop one known time in Taiwan on February 4, according to reports from Michigan's MLive and San Diego's 10News, but local authorities forced it to leave a day early.
There are 1,455 guests and 802 crew on the ship, but Holland America has said it does not believe any passengers or crew members have the coronavirus. The cruise will end on Thursday in Laem Chabang, Thailand, two days earlier than originally planned, and the ship's next cruise has been canceled, Holland America said. All of the ship's passengers will get a full refund and a credit they can use for a future cruise.
"We sincerely thank our guests and the crew on Westerdam — and their loved ones — for their patience during this extraordinary time," Holland America said.
The occupants of another Carnival-owned ship, Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess, have been quarantined at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Japan since February 3, as 136 people on the ship had been found to have the coronavirus as of Monday.
Worldwide, more than 43,000 people in at least 26 countries have contracted the coronavirus, which has killed more than 1,000 people.
Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@bjinnox.com
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