(Photo : REUTERS)

On Friday, the cruise line reported that four people had died onboard the vessel. According to Holland America, on Thursday at least two individuals had been screened for COVID-19 on the ship.

Late Sunday night upon being anchored off the shores of Panama for a couple of days, Holland America's Zaandam started traveling the Panama Canal. After many South American ports refused the ship access, the ship, as well as its crew, had been in limbo for weeks waiting for an opportunity to dock.

In a statement Holland America reported that travelers without symptoms were moved from Zaandam to Rotterdam on Saturday.

In a video clip, the Holland America Line president Orlando Ashford admitted that the corporation has been attempting to "figure out" where to evacuate passengers from the stricken liner of Zaandam in which four of the passengers have already died.

The Two Tandemed Ships

The sister vessel, the Rotterdam, sailed from Panama on Saturday to get the travelers displaying no symptoms of the infection. From San Diego the Rotterdam had come with supplies, medical professionals, test kits and provisions for the belligerent vessel.

The ships were granted permission to continue across the canal by late Sunday or early Monday.

Ashford said in his statement he needed to refute a misconception about the healthy ship being one and the ill ship being the other.

Ashford apologized on behalf of the cruise line saying: "It's been a tough last several days."

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Passengers Wanting to Dock

With the flu-like virus outbreak, four have died from the reported cases for COVID-19, it has been a stressful week for the 1,243 passengers, including 247 Canadians, who have been on board Zahandam, a cruise ship currently sailing off the shore of Panama, on the Holland America Route.

The Zaandam has sought a docking place that would allow passengers to return home after the shortening of its South American cruise on March 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last Friday, Holland America reported the deaths of four elderly travelers and the occurrence of influenza symptoms in several other travelers. 73 passengers and 116 members of crew are reportedly ill.

The ship's passenger Cheryle Stothard of Toronto stated, "They're not wanting us there, so where are we going to go?" She and her spouse have also been strictly limited to their room for the past week due to the spread of the disease.

On Wednesday, the Ship Might Reach Florida

Holland America had recently confirmed it was preparing to visit Fort Lauderdale, but Port Everglades authorities said that on Sunday the travelers had not been authorized to dock there.

The ship is required to send a proposal before its entry which includes, in the document, a lengthy list of Unified Command entrance requirements for Port Everglades.

As per the channel release, the Zaandam had reserved transit across the Canal since April 1, 2020.

When the ships continue to navigate the canal, it takes about three days for them to reach South Florida, according to the report mentioned from the Port Everglades.