Virus-hit liners begin transiting Panama Canal

The administrator of the Panama Canal said that two Holland America Line cruise ships completed their journey through the waterway Monday on their way to Florida, and he said that the new coronavirus was the cause of death for at least two of the four people who died on the Zaandam.

Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez said only two people boarded, one in each vessel, and no other personnel nor tugboats were used in the operation.

The pilots who led the Zaandam and Rotterdam through the locks would be placed in a 14-day quarantine.

The Zaandam, which left Argentina on March 7 with some 1,800 passengers and crew, had been denied entry to South American ports and was stranded off Panama for several days until the Central American nation decided to permit it to cross the canal.

Several hundred passengers were transferred on Friday to a sister ship, the Rotterdam.

Officials in Florida, however, have expressed alarm at the planned arrival of the ships following confirmation of at least two COVID-19 cases aboard the Zaandam.

Holland America earlier reported four deaths on the ship, but did not specify the cause. Vásquez said at least two of those died of coronavirus.

Vásquez warned that this was an exceptional situation and other ships should not expect similar help.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.