FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The U.S. Coast Guard will not allow Princess Cruises' Coral Princess to dock in Port Everglades for the time being, a port spokeswoman confirmed Friday.
The decision comes a day after two Holland America ships, the Zaandam and Rotterdam, were allowed to dock in Broward County, with scores of passengers reporting flu-like symptoms and 14 rushed to area hospitals once they came ashore. The new coronavirus was blamed for the deaths of several Zaandam passengers as well as the illness of many others.
The Coral Princess has a "higher than normal" number of people with symptoms and had planned to bring them to Port Everglades on Saturday after a service call in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Port Everglades spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said Friday that the decision was made by the Coast Guard as a health issue, but it was not immediately clear how long the ship will be kept at sea. The ship is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp. and registered in Bermuda.
