US State Department Says Cruise Ship Crew Members Still Stranded

The United States Department of State announced Thursday there were still a “fairly significant number of U.S. citizen crew members” stuck on cruise ships around the world due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

According to ABC News, State Department repatriation task force head Ian Brownlee said local governments are refusing to allow cruise ships to dock over fears they could be carrying crew members infected with the coronavirus.

Officials from the U.S. Department of State said they are working with local governments where ships are attempting to dock to find a way to bring American citizens home.

“We’re continuing to press to let these folks get off the ships,” Brownlee told ABC News. “In the meantime, they’re on board the ship where they’re being fed and taken care of by the cruise lines themselves.”

Earlier this week, the Coast Guard revealed it was monitoring 25 cruise ships anchored in U.S. waters with 18,900 crew members on board, 26 cruise ships moored in U.S. ports with 20,900 crew members on board, and eight cruise ships underway in U.S. waters with 8,300 crew members on board.

One of the ships stranded at sea is Holland America’s Volendam, which is currently off the coast of the Bahamas. A crew member on board, 27-year-old American Matthew Gordon, said the captain told employees they could be stuck on the ship for another month.

“As an American citizen, I should have the freedom to go home and spend this quarantine in my own home,” Gordon told ABC News.