Trump urges Florida governor to allow coronavirus-stricken ship to dock

[libertybele]

NO!! Mr. President NO!!!!  What the hell is Trump thinking?  I'm hoping DeSantis holds firms -- yes Trump got him elected, but his loyalties need to be to his constituents! This virus is spreading like wild-fire and South Florida already has thousands of cases.  How many are on that cruise ship? The potential for those to infect all parts of FL is very likely.  They left from Argentina -- let them turn around and go back!!!  In fact -- we have 2 ships coming this way --- Gee no wonder they've predicted that FL will become another NY -- they keep bringing them in!!  No different than the border Mr. President -- turn them around!!!

Trump urges Florida governor to allow coronavirus-stricken ship to dock

President Trump Tuesday urged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to allow passengers from a Holland America cruise ship to dock in the state a day after the governor said that would be a “mistake.”  “They’re dying on the ship,” Trump said during a White House briefing. Four people have died on the ship as of Tuesday evening. Trump said he planned to call DeSantis, according to Reuters. “I’m going to do what’s right, not only for us but for humanity.”

On Monday, DeSantis said South Florida is already overwhelmed by the virus and space in hospitals needs to be reserved for local patients, not foreign nationals, according to FOX 13 in Tampa. “We cannot afford to have people who aren’t even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources,” he told Fox News.

Holland America’s Zaandam left Argentina on March 7 and has been stuck at sea since then.

"We think it's a mistake to be putting people into southern Florida right now, given what we're dealing with, so we would like to have medical personnel simply be dispatched to that ship, and the cruise lines can hopefully arrange for that, tend to folks who may need medical attention," DeSantis said.

Holland America officials confirmed that “four older guests” had died of the virus and at least 130 have flu-like symptoms, FOX 13 reported.

A sister ship, the Rotterdam, boarded about two-thirds of the ship's passengers who passed a medical check and should reach Fort Lauderdale by the end of the week, according to Reuters.

“Florida continues to receive flights from New York and it allowed spring break gatherings to go on as planned. Why turn their backs on us?” Laura Gabaroni, who boarded the Rotterdam with her husband, told the Associated Press. “We hope our elected officials will do the right thing: let the Americans disembark and safely quarantine.”

The U.S. Coast Guard this week also advised that Miami-based ships registered in the Bahamas should go there for help first and said those with more than 50 aboard may have to care for patients onboard “for an indefinite period of time,” according to The Miami Herald.

Ships must also arrange for private transport for sick passengers rather than relying on the Coast Guard.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-urges-florida-governor-to-allow-coronavirus-stricken-ship-to-dock

[libertybele]

If they want into the port in Miami cases there are over 2,000 and in Lauderdale (Broward county) cases are over 1,200.

Other than pressure from Trump, why in the heck would he want to add to those hot spots?? 

Hospitals now are above and beyond capacity.  The hospital navy ship is tied up over in NY.  So what additional ICU bed space would we have?  None.

DeSantis is also trying to limit travel from NY and LA -- he has check points at the border.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Let them anchor two miles offshore.   Remove the dead.  Replenish supplies.  Add additional medical personnel.

Give each passenger a treatment of the malaria drug combo.  Quarantine them on the ship for 10 days.  Non-Americans then testing negative are transported directly to flights back to their home countries.  Americans then testing negative should be subject to strict self-quarantined for another 10 days..

Enough fooling around with this.

They chose to take a cruise knowing the risks.

[libertybele]

Let them anchor two miles offshore.   Remove the dead.  Replenish supplies.  Add additional medical personnel.

Give each passenger a treatment of the malaria drug combo.  Quarantine them on the ship for 10 days.  Non-Americans then testing negative are transported directly to flights back to their home countries.  Americans then testing negative should be subject to strict self-quarantined for another 10 days..

Enough fooling around with this.

They chose to take a cruise knowing the risks.

I fired off a quick e-mail to DeSantis' office to show my support for him and encouraging him to stand his ground. 

As much as I have grown to like and support President Trump and commend him for the job that he's doing with this virus, he is just dead wrong on pressuring DeSantis to add risk to our state's citizens, overburdened hospitals and medical staff.  Dead wrong.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Coast Guard directs cruise ships with infected passengers to stay offshore 'indefinitely'
The Hill, 04/01/20 12:15 PM EDT

The Coast Guard is directing cruise ships with passengers that may be infected with coronavirus to stay offshore “indefinitely” and prepare to treat passengers aboard their ships, according to a safety bulletin issued Sunday.

The Coast Guard’s new regulations mandate all ships in U.S. waters with more than 50 people give daily updates on their medical caseloads or face civil or criminal punishment. Coast Guard Rear Adm. E.C. Jones, whose district covers Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico, signed the bulletin preventing ship evacuations.

“This is necessary as shore-side medical facilities may reach full capacity and lose the ability to accept and effectively treat additional critically-ill patients,” the memo said. “A potential evacuee has better access to comfortable surroundings and the medical staff on board the foreign passenger vessel where care is already being provided.”

Foreign-flagged vessels “that loiter beyond U.S. territorial seas” should first attempt to evacuate passengers through their countries, the regulations say. Many of South Florida’s cruise ships are registered in the Bahamas, a country with limited hospital capacity, The Associated Press noted.

Dozens of cruise ships are waiting at Port Miami and Port Everglades or sitting offshore because of the pandemic. Most of the ships are carrying only crew, but Carnival Corp., which owns nine cruise lines, told the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had more than 6,000 passengers on undocked ships.

Officials in Florida have been debating whether Carnival’s Holland America cruise ships, the Zaandam and Rotterdam, that hold a combined 300 Americans could dock at Port Everglades. Four people have died on the Zaandam, with two deaths being attributed to COVID-19, and nine have tested positive for coronavirus.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been hesitant about letting the cruises unload in his state, saying it “doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” But President Trump said he would speak to the governor to “do what’s right … for humanity,” according to the AP.

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/ports-waterways/490584-coast-guard-directs-cruise-ships-with-infected.

@libertybele

(Keep reaching out to DeSantis ...)

[libertybele]

@libertybele

(Keep reaching out to DeSantis ...)

Thanks for the info.  This is good news.