Cruise Ship Carrying Stranded Crew Members Turned Away in LA
Crew members stuck on a Holland America Line cruise ship were once again denied entry into the United States despite no confirmed cases of coronavirus onboard.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the Oosterdam was forced to depart from the Port of Los Angeles on Tuesday night with around 800 crew members from 100 countries after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ruled against letting them disembark.
The Holland America ship has been without passengers since March 14 after the United States government ordered cruise lines to suspend operations. After officials learned of a sick person who was medically evacuated, the entire crew was quarantined.
As a result, the Oosterdam has been stranded in international waters for around 45 days and will now be forced to sail to Ensenada, Mexico, for a possible disembarkation after being denied entry in LA.
A Holland America spokesperson released a statement to CBS Los Angeles about the ordeal:
“No crew were permitted to disembark from Oosterdam today. We continue to work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to obtain approval to disembark crew in the U.S. for immediate return home under their current no sail order which does not allow us to do so at this time, including for U.S. citizens.”
One of the American crew members still on board is Melinda Mann, a youth program manager for the cruise line.
“I spend 21 hours a day in my cabin,” Mann said. “I’m allowed out for three 30-minute meal breaks and three 30-minute outside time breaks. I have not hugged another person or touched another person in weeks.”
“I’ve been at sea for 45 days, and I’m ready to go,” Mann continued. “I’m a U.S. citizen, I’m not sick; I’m healthy. I’m willing to quarantine, I’m willing to be tested for COVID, but they can’t keep me here forever.”
Holland America isn’t the only cruise line dealing with the effects of the viral pandemic, as Carnival Cruise Line announced this week that 18 of its ships are scheduled to rendezvous in The Bahamas as they prepare to repatriate more than 10,000 healthy crew members.