The cruise ship of death, Holland America’s Zaandam, is expected dock at Port Everglades in Broward County after receiving clearance to pass through the Panama Canal by Panamanian officials.
The ship is presently carrying 4 dead passengers and has about 130 passengers and crew members have symptoms of the Coronavirus.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has maximized his efforts to get the federal government into sending COVID-19 relief aid, has already said that he believed it would be a “mistake to let the Zaandam dock at any of Florida’s ports, and Senator Rick Scott stated that he want every passenger on the ship to be tested for the COVID-19 virus.
In a press release, Sen. Scott also stated that the ship “must be held in port while everyone is tested,” adding that “all passengers must be quarantined for 14 days” regardless of whether they are symptomatic.
"If this ship docks in Florida, the federal government must coordinate with the state to make sure that every single passenger on board gets tested for Coronavirus," stated Scott "The ship must be held in port while everyone is tested, and all passengers must be quarantined for 14 days, even if they are not currently showing symptoms. The federal government and the state must also coordinate to determine which hospitals will be designated for those that require immediate attention. We have to ensure the sick are getting properly treated, but we can’t take any chances.”
Broward and Miami-Dade Counties are the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus in Florida with about 3,000 confirmed cases between the two counties.
According to the latest Florida Department of Health Coronavirus numbers, 5,500 Floridians are infected, 715 are hospitalized, and 71 have died from the disease.
