Fifth Port Refuses Cruise Ship Over Virus Fears

Bloomberg News reports:

The 2,257 passengers and crew onboard the Westerdam luxury liner are in limbo once again after Thailand became the latest country to turn the ship away from its ports, leaving guests desperate to disembark after almost two weeks at sea.

Fearing that some passengers aboard the Westerdam may be infected with the deadly new coronavirus, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced Tuesday in a Facebook post that he’s directed authorities not to let them disembark.

The statement was confirmed by other Thai officials. The ship’s operator has said it has no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board.

We are aware of the reports regarding the status of Westerdam’s call to Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand. We are actively working this matter & will provide an update when able. We know this is confusing for our guests and their families & we greatly appreciate their patience.

— Holland America Line (@HALcruises) February 11, 2020

#Japan, #Taiwan, the #Philippines, the US territory of #Guam, and now #Thailand have blocked #Westerdam from docking at their ports over #coronavirus fears. This past track video shows her movements since January 28th. #MarineTraffic pic.twitter.com/bfmKkzDbQp

— MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) February 11, 2020