Police Escort Busloads of Passengers From Coronavirus-Affected Cruise Ships to Nearby Airport

Passengers from coronavirus-affected cruise ships were bussed from Port Everglades, Florida, to the nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on April 3, local media reported.

The Miami Herald said the passengers, who were from two Holland America ships that docked at Port Everglades on April 2, would be escorted directly onto the tarmac to board chartered flights, with destinations in Toronto, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Frankfurt. The Holland America ships are named the MS Zaandam and the MS Rotterdam.

Holland America Line reported that at least 90 passengers and 143 crew on the Zaandam had presented with influenza-like symptoms. Seventeen passengers on the Rotterdam had fallen ill.

The Zaandam had been left docked off Panama for several days as many South American ports denied the ship entry. Credit: Kenny Baublitz via Storyful