Coronavirus Continues to Keep Thousands of Cruise Ship Workers At Sea
For over two weeks now, the daily amount of positive coronavirus cases has skyrocketed to alarming numbers in Florida, with many experts fearing that the state is quickly becoming a new epicenter for the deadly disease. And as residents prepare themselves for this potential “second wave”, thousands of cruise ship workers have yet to see any sort of relief from the first round of outbreaks.
According to an alarming article published by the Miami Herald just a little over a week ago, approximately 42,000 cruise ship workers and employees have been stranded aboard various vessels, without pay, since the initial COVID-19 outbreak back in March. Vacation destinations and ports-of-call from all over the world began to “close their doors” to these luxury liners in an attempt to combat the spread of the coronavirus in their own countries. Many major cruise line companies including Carnival and Royal Caribbean ceased operations shortly thereafter, which ultimately stranded an incredible amount of cruise ship workers at sea.
Conditions within these cruise ships is something to be desired as well. In addition to not receiving weeks of pay, many employees have been forced to quarantine in their surprisingly small living quarters due to positive COVID-19 cases onboard the ships themselves. One vessel specifically, Carnival Corporation’s Diamond Princess, suffered one of the most serious outbreaks of the fleet, reporting a whopping 600 people who had fallen ill, with fourteen passenger deaths.
On June 3rd, 2020, nearly three months after the cruise ship industry was frozen in place by the novel coronavirus, some workers and employees were finally able to pack their bags and head for home sweet home. “I felt like I was finally safe somehow, like continuing from where I left before all of this happened,” said Royal Caribbean musical director Bruno Cruells who arrived in Argentina earlier this week after spending eighty days at sea.
The “no-sail” order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the cruise ship industry will expire on July 24th, 2020.
If you or a loved one have been adversely affected by a coronavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship, please contact the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. today at 877-FL-INJURY to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation.
Sources:
- Report: 40,000 cruise ship workers still trapped at sea
- 42,000 cruise ship workers still trapped at sea
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.
