Cruise Ship Denied Entry By Four Countries, Guam Over Coronavirus Fears; Thousands Stuck On Boat

The luxury cruise ship, MS Westerdam, has been denied docking rights by a fourth Asia-Pacific country in addition to Guam taking extreme measures to prevent the entry of persons infected with the Novel coronavirus or Covid-19. This, despite none of the 2,200 passengers and crew on this ship having been infected by the coronavirus.

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health (MPH) on Tuesday ordered the Port Authority of Thailand to deny landing rights to the cruise ship on orders of the health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul.

“I have issued orders. Permission to dock refused,” said Anutin.

Thai Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate said Thailand will “gladly help providing fuel, medicine and food,” but the ship won't be allowed to dock in Bangkok, its original destination. Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. territory of Guam previously denied MS Westerdam landing rights.

Thailand on February 10 initially allowed the debarkation of passengers at Bangkok but as the ship headed for Laem Chabang port near Bangkok, permission to dock was refused the next day. The ship, however, maintained its course to Bangkok until February 11 as it sailed around the southern tip of Vietnam.

As of Wednesday, the ship is still searching for a country that will allow it to dock, having been out at sea for 11 days. The World Health Organization (WHO) is sympathetic to the plight of the ship's passengers and crew.

"We need to ensure that there's neither an overreaction or an under-reaction," said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health-emergencies program. "We need a proper risk-management approach to this."

MS Westerdam can carry close to 2,000 passengers and 800 crew. On this voyage, however, the ship is carrying 1,455 passengers. Operated by Holland America Line, the ship departed Hong Kong February 1 on a 14-day cruise to Taiwan and Japan.