Coronavirus Update: Caribbean Princess Allowed To Dock At Port Everglades After Crew Members Test Negative
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A cruise ship held off Fort Lauderdale due to coronavirus concerns as been allowed to dock.
Around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Caribbean Princess pulled into Port Everglades.
The Caribbean Princess was under a no-sail order after two crew members from the Grand Princess were transferred to the ship. Twenty-one people on board Grand Princess, including 19 crew members, tested positive for coronavirus. After being kept at sea, it docked Monday in Oakland, California.
CBS4 News spoke to Broward resident and retired Broward Sheriff's Office Sergeant Mike Kallman. He and his wife, Kathy, were stuck on the Grand Princess in California for days. The couple said they felt healthy and were allowed to leave the ship on Tuesday.
Kallman told CBS4 News that they were on a plane late Tuesday night headed to an Air Force base elsewhere in the U.S. for testing.
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On Monday, the Caribbean Princess stopped briefly in Grand Cayman to pick up test kits for two crew members. After they tested negative and the ship was given the all-clear to dock at Port Everglades.
Around 7:30 a.m., passengers were allowed to disembark.
Last weekend, Regal Princess was finally able to dock in Fort Lauderdale after two crew members who also came from the Grand Princess cruise ship tested negative.
Broward County has four confirmed cases of coronavirus. Three of the cases are connected to or employed by Metro Cruise Services, which operates at Port Everglades and is responsible for guiding people off the ships.
"We were unaware that any of our part-time employees were sick until we were notified by the authorities," said Metro Cruise Services President Anthony Newman. "We then immediately notified all of our Port Everglades employees that one of their associates had tested positive and advised them that, if they have any symptoms, they should seek medical assistance and not report to work. We are assisting all relevant governmental agencies with their inquiries and instructions."
Broward County officials have pledged to increase their cleaning of public buildings and public transit.