FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The Regal Princess cruise ship was stuck in limbo Sunday, sailing back and forth along the coast of South Florida waiting on coronavirus test results for two crew members.
The ship was scheduled to land Sunday morning at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and leave on another cruise Sunday evening.
But instead of docking as planned, the ship is being forced to stay offshore until two crew members can be tested for the virus that causes COVID-19. Both recently worked on the Grand Princess _ the same ship in California that had 21 passengers and crew test positive for the virus.
The Regal Princess is being kept offshore at the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until test results come in for those two crew members.
That could take another 24 to 48 hours, said Glenn Wiltshire, acting chief executive and director at Port Everglades.
"The federal government has the lead on that," Wiltshire said. "The samples were collected and brought ashore earlier today. The test is carried out at a state health department lab. The turnaround times are usually 24 to 48 hours. But they recognize the urgency of turning these tests around and doing them as fast as they can."
Princess Cruises has canceled the cruise that was set to leave port Sunday evening. Passengers should contact the cruise line for more information.
New Yorker Alicia Hilty and her boyfriend were making the best of things on board the somber ship Sunday afternoon.
"I feel like we are in the dark," said Hilty, 26, of Oswego, N.Y. "They woke us up in our cabin at 5:30 a.m. to say two crew needed to be tested. Me and my boyfriend are feeling anxious. It's 3 p.m. and we have no update. Last time we heard anything was 11 a.m."
The ship was quiet, the pool deserted. Passengers were not being ordered to stay in their rooms, but most elderly passengers were staying in their cabins, Hilty said.
Live music and game show activities were still being held, but attracted a sparse crowd.
A few passengers complained about the lack of information.
Neither crew member on the Regal Princess is showing symptoms of the virus, according to a letter Capt. Tim Stringer sent to passengers on Saturday.
The two crew members transferred from another Princess vessel more than 14 days ago, the captain said in a letter to passengers dated March 7.
"The crew members are past the understood maximum incubation of COVID-19 and are asymptomatic," the captain wrote.
Both were screened by medical staff upon boarding the Regal Princess and were tested for respiratory symptoms, including fever.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention insisted that passengers not leave the ship until both crew members are tested for the virus, the captain wrote.
"We sincerely regret any inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your understanding and patience given the circumstances," Stringer wrote. "My officers and crew look forward to serving you for the remainder of our time together, and wish you safe homeward travels."
The Regal Princess set sail for the Caribbean out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale a week ago.
Ellen Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Port Everglades, could not be reached for comment. In an email, she referred all questions to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard spokesman said they were still gathering information and declined to comment.
Princess Cruises is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.
On Sunday night, the U.S. State Department warned citizens against taking cruises. "U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship," the travel advisory said.
CURRENT NUMBERS
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Florida has a total of 19 cases and 2 deaths. The number of cases includes one non-Florida resident isolated in the sate, and five Floridians who have tested positive and are isolated out of state. An additional 108 test results are pending.
In the United States, there are more than 450 confirmed cases, at least 17 deaths and 32 states reporting cases. The states reporting cases: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. There are more than 109,000 confirmed cases in more than 100 countries and territories, with about 3,800 deaths.
TRAVEL AND TOURISM
The Southeast Florida Honor Flight veterans group has canceled its April 11 and May 30 trips to Washington, D.C. According to the group's website, the two trips are canceled "due to the uncertain spread and rapidly evolving situation of the COVID-19 virus, and to avoid possible infection of our veterans, who are in the highest risk population. Additionally, the decision was made to avoid any possible infection or travel delays due to quarantine risks for the guardians and volunteers scheduled to fly."
SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENT
In a meeting Saturday at Port Everglades, Vice President Mike Pence and Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to work with cruise line officials and attempt to slow the rate of new infections of the new coronavirus. Pence said that over the next 72 hours, cruise lines will work with federal officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to screen more passengers for the coronavirus before they board ships, establish onboard testing, and develop a plan to move anyone who has contracted the virus to land quickly.
One of two confirmed COVID-19 cases in Broward County is a man who works as a contractor with the cruise ships at Port Everglades. Broward County Mayor Dale Holness said state health officials have not revealed the person's city of residence, and Holness said the county doesn't know.
EVENTS
A presidential forum at Walt Disney World on Thursday that would have featured Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders has been canceled due to coronavirus fears. The AFL-CIO, which was to host the forum, announced the cancellation.
