News on the Westerdam

[BarbarianPaul]

6 hours ago, bcummin said:

I am trying to understand the situations between the Westerdam and the Diamond Princess.

Diamond Princess had COVID-19 that spread like wildfire during their "quarantine."

Only one Westerdam passenger has tested positive, and that was in Malaysia.

The simple explanation is that  either Holland America deserves far more credit than is being given, or the contagious virus was not onboard the Westerdam.  The truth may be more complex.

Barbara

 

(P.S. My heart is still questioning the double diagnosis in Malaysia.  It is certainly possible, but it does not fit my train of thought.  Hopefully the lady and her husband [pneumonia] are doing well in the hospital there.

And I am impressed that HAL President Orlando Ashford has been in Cambodia to talk with people and to juggle the changing situations.

The world needs to know so much more about this new virus.  The sooner the better.  Meanwhile, many people should self-quarantine, and many more should wear masks.)

Here’s one piece of absolute truth. HA disembarked an entire shipload of passengers in Cambodia without a single one being officially tested. Not sure they deserve a medal!

 

 

[hal2008]

17 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

Here’s one piece of absolute truth. HA disembarked an entire shipload of passengers in Cambodia without a single one being officially tested. Not sure they deserve a medal!

 

 

 

Thank you, BP. 

You said it on most effective way without offending the poster.

 

Combodia of course have acted very irresponsiblly but hopefully locally no one will pay any price (and even if they do we will never find out).

 

HAL had been making a lot of misdirecting misleading reports.

 

"There was no one on ship with coronoavirus".

Not a lie but certainly a misleading statement as no one was tested.

 

"Everyone on boad has been screened".

All they did was to take thermal scan 3 days before porting in Combodia.

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by hal2008

[bcummin]

Barbarian Paul:

Yes, but I think that Cambodia was already welcoming untested people from China.

And except for 20 passengers with minor health problems (including one with pneumonia?), these passengers appeared to be healthy.  Subsequent tests did prove this, both those in hotels onshore and everyone left onboard.  This was an extraordinary situation where perfection was not possible.

I am thankful to Cambodia for welcoming the Westerdam, when no other country would.

Gold medals to all of the countries who are helping these  passengers travel home safely.

May they continue to maintain good health. 

Barbara

Edited February 21, 2020 by bcummin

[bcummin]

One more thing, thanks to Happy In Van's reminder:

Wash your hands.  Keep washing your hands.  Avoid this new virus.

Barbara

[Moparop]

2 hours ago, Laminator said:

More issues for the PAX!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/plane-evacuating-cruise-passengers-re-routed-after-turkey-denies-landing-permission/ar-BB10dywH?ocid=spartandhp

 

 

Thanks for the post. I’m pretty sure my parents were on that flight and I hadn’t heard anything from them in almost 24 hours. This explains why. 

[Rowsby]

Just announced on twitter by Holland America....

 

Due to the uncertainty of ports accepting cruise ships in Asia, Holland America Line has decided to cancel Westerdam’s four March and April 2020 Asia cruises. For the full update including affected dates, please visit Holland America Blog: https://*****/38Hp6fc

 

The cancelled cruises include:
• March 14–28, 14-day South Korea and Japan, sailing roundtrip Yokohama, Japan.
• March 28–April 11, 14-day Japan Explorer, sailing roundtrip Yokohama.
• April 11–25, 14-day Japan and Russia, sailing roundtrip Yokohama.
• April 25–May 10, 16-day North Pacific Crossing, sailing Yokohama to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Details and itineraries regarding Westerdam deployment through early May will be provided in the coming days.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Rowsby

[Vict0riann]

2 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Ann , is there any news from Sailing Duchy?

 

 

 

 

Yes they are home, and send their regards to all!  They are self-quarantining for another two weeks because of Martha's aged mother and their grandchildren, but they tested negative every time, and really are not worried.  They said HAL upgraded them on their long flights, and they were very happy about the treatment they received.  

 

Edited to add, they are in touch with others on their roll call, as some have not arrived home yet.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Vict0riann

[BarbarianPaul]

1 hour ago, bcummin said:

Barbarian Paul:

Yes, but I think that Cambodia was already welcoming untested people from China.

And except for 20 passengers with minor health problems (including one with pneumonia?), these passengers appeared to be healthy.  Subsequent tests did prove this, both those in hotels onshore and everyone left onboard.  This was an extraordinary situation where perfection was not possible.

I am thankful to Cambodia for welcoming the Westerdam, when no other country would.

Gold medals to all of the countries who are helping these  passengers travel home safely.

May they continue to maintain good health. 

Barbara

Barbara...

You can still be sick while “appearing” to be healthy. That’s why they have tests.

[bcummin]

And that is why more quarantines are recommended.

Time will tell.  So far, so good.

Barbara

 

 

[JennAngel9]

Last I read the flight full of Westerdam passengers is on its way from Pakistan to AMS airport in the Netherlands.  Does anybody have any idea of what will happen when they get there?

[hal2008]

2 hours ago, JennAngel9 said:

Last I read the flight full of Westerdam passengers is on its way from Pakistan to AMS airport in the Netherlands.  Does anybody have any idea of what will happen when they get there?

 

TK 3441 landed in AMS about an hour ago.

[JennAngel9]

7 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

 

TK 3441 landed in AMS about an hour ago.

Thanks, I actually have been updating twitter every few minutes and was coming back to answer my own question. 

It appears that no sort of quarantine will be enforced and the 200(?) non-Dutch passengers will all be allowed to fly to their home countries.  My husband is transiting through AMS today... so I may get the opportunity to be a part of the aggressive quarantine I still believe is the wisest choice for humanity.

[dado123456]

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the 83-year-old woman who is currently being treated at the Sungai Buloh Hospital has been tested repeatedly for Covid-19, with the results showing that she is clear of the virus.

 

“Her tests have come up negative. However, she is still being kept in hospital because she is not that well and still has symptoms.

 

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/02/21/wan-azizah-american-in-malaysia-who-tested-positive-for-covid-19-clear-of-virus

Edited February 21, 2020 by dado123456

[JennAngel9]

13 minutes ago, dado123456 said:

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the 83-year-old woman who is currently being treated at the Sungai Buloh Hospital has been tested repeatedly for Covid-19, with the results showing that she is clear of the virus.

 

“Her tests have come up negative. However, she is still being kept in hospital because she is not that well and still has symptoms.

 

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/02/21/wan-azizah-american-in-malaysia-who-tested-positive-for-covid-19-clear-of-virus

I really hope that this is good news for everybody on board the Westerdam and not very bad news about the accuracy of the tests.  I feel terrible for this poor woman who is presumably quite sick and has presumably had the test administered several times on top of everything else she's suffering. 

[Moparop]

33 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

 

TK 3441 landed in AMS about an hour ago.

there was a health screening for those folks when they got off the plane. Just heard from my parents again!

[JennAngel9]

7 minutes ago, Moparop said:

there was a health screening for those folks when they got off the plane. Just heard from my parents again!

I'm glad your parents made it out of Pakistan and arrived safely in Europe.  I can't even imagine being told Islamabad will be an unexpected addition to the itinerary (though I'm sure they didn't get off the plane).  Do you know if HAL has assigned them new flights yet?

[dado123456]

Two passengers from Westerdam traveling on Qatar Airways flight to Tan Son Nhat airport in Vietnam had normal body temperature and no symptoms of respiratory illness. All the other passengers on the flight had no fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

 

https://baovephapluat.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/doi-song-xa-hoi/giam-sat-hanh-khach-den-tu-du-thuyen-westerdam-den-san-bay-tan-son-nhat-83363.html

Edited February 21, 2020 by dado123456

[dado123456]

Hun Sen defends decision to dock Westerdam cruise ship

He said no passenger onboard the Westerdam had tested positive for Covid-19, except for an 83-year-old American woman who tested positive in Malaysia. However, Hun Sen questioned where the woman became infected.

 

“The case of the woman in Malaysia is a different story. She was the only passenger that tested positive and now she has recovered and is back in her country. She will say whatever she wants to say about how she became infected.

“We didn’t find anything wrong with her when she was here. So, did she contract the disease in Cambodia or in Malaysia?” Hun Sen asked.

He stressed that the case of the infected passenger had not created tensions with Malaysia. “Some say that there is a diplomatic dispute between Cambodia and Malaysia regarding the case of the 83-year-old American woman.

“I want to emphasise that there is no dispute. We are simply asking for an explanation because we did not find any trace of the disease when she was here, but then she tested positive in Malaysia. Where did she contract the disease?

“It is highly unlikely that she would test positive while her husband and thousands of others at the ship tested negative. But, I reiterate, there is no diplomatic dispute between Cambodia and Malaysia,” Hun Sen stressed.

The prime minister thanked Thailand for confirming that none of the Westerdam passengers was infected upon entering Bangkok after leaving Phnom Penh.

 

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-defends-decision-dock-westerdam-cruise-ship

 

Really puzzling - this single person infection on a cruise ship.

[dado123456]

Four Hawaii residents returned home to the islands after their cruise ship, the MS Westerdam, docked in Cambodia last Thursday. The cruise ship had been turned away from several ports in Asia before being accepted at the Cambodia port. At least one of the ship’s passengers has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

.....

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not consider the four Hawaii residents to be at high risk for the illness. The Hawaii Department of Health told the residents, who are self-monitoring at home, to notify officials if they develop symptoms.

“We don’t anticipate that they were exposed to anyone who might have had the virus,” state Health Director Bruce Anderson said. “The passenger that was identified as having been infected with COVID-19 developed symptoms after leaving the ship so, again, probably wasn’t passing the virus onto others on the ship.”

...

https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/four-hawaii-residents-home-cambodian-docked-cruise-ship

[dado123456]

People from Amsterdam land at Schiphol airport Amsterdam: “We still don’t get any answers”

The aircraft had to make a stopover in Karachi (Pakistan), after it had been asked by the Turkish air traffic control to turn around. The return flight was organized by the shipping company, Holland-Amerika Lijn, in collaboration with the Dutch government.

“We received no explanation”

,, We were on the platform for hours. Nobody was allowed off board, nobody came in. We received no explanation whatsoever, “says one of the passengers on board, former diplomat Hans Slingerland van Bemmelen, who witnessed the” Corona adventure “on the Westerdam with his wife Joan from start to finish.

He is critical of the Dutch government, which in his eyes did not do enough to help stuck countrymen. ,, And why did our box unexpectedly turn to Karachi with only vague technical motives? Why was nobody allowed in or out for three hours, not even the authorities? What about refueling and flight crew work and rest times? We still get no answers. That is very unsatisfactory. We are of course happy to finally be back in the Netherlands, although we would have preferred to finish our four-week cruise in the Far East. ”

https://www.mbs.news/a/2020/02/people-from-amsterdam-land-at-schiphol-we-still-dont-get-any-answers-interior.html

Edited February 21, 2020 by dado123456

[JennAngel9]

I'm about to log off for tonight-- for what it's worth, my husband said upon connecting at AMS he had to identify whether he had been to China or on the Westerdam before boarding (this did not happen on his first leg of the flight to AMS on the same airline) he said it was done orally by the gate agent as he boarded.

NOTE: He said he almost missed his connection and had to sprint through the terminal--ultimately, he arrived just before final boarding "breathless and sweaty"-- so it's unclear if they asked everyone or just him because he looked checked all of the boxes for flu.  He said he was literally last to board so he doesn't know if they asked other people.

[Bertie Doe]

3 hours ago, hal2008 said:

4 hours ago, hal2008 said:

 

Yes. Official statement came from the Governor of the territory.

 

They were not equipped to handle any potential health emergency.

Given that more resourceful countries were denying porting, this was reasonable stand.

Having seen how Pueto Rico has been treated, Guam knows that they will have bigger challenge getting any help from this administration.

 

Yep you're right. Just done a quick Wickip, didn't realize they're a relatively small community. Guess they'd be overwhelmed. thanks.

 

[1ANGELCAT]

10 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

 

Yes they are home, and send their regards to all!  They are self-quarantining for another two weeks because of Martha's aged mother and their grandchildren, but they tested negative every time, and really are not worried.  They said HAL upgraded them on their long flights, and they were very happy about the treatment they received.  

 

Edited to add, they are in touch with others on their roll call, as some have not arrived home yet.

Thanks Ann. Wonderful news

[dado123456]

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) is no longer recommending passengers from the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship undertake 14 days of self-isolation on return to Australia to manage novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

 

https://www.health.gov.au/news/westerdam-cruise-ship-passengers

[dado123456]

The passengers of the cruise ship Westerdam who arrived in the Netherlands today will be monitored by the GGD in the near future. That was said by Minister Bruins of Medical Care.

 

https://www.nationalezorggids.nl/ziekenhuizen/nieuws/52612-bruins-ggd-monitort-passagiers-westerdam-en-nederland-blijft-alert.html