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A28 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 28 March 2020

The Zaandam cruise ship, carrying dozens of guests with flu-like
symptoms, arrives to the bay of Panama City, seen from Isla de
Taboga, Panama, Friday, March 27, 2020, amid the worldwide
spread of the new coronavirus.
Associated Press
4 passengers dead

aboard cruise ship National Guard personnel carry out bio screening on arriving passengers at the Luis Muñoz Marin
Airport in an effort to detect and isolate the new coronavirus, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Tuesday,
anchored off Panama March 17, 2020. Associated Press

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Four side staterooms and who Puerto Rico governor tightens,
passengers have died are over 70," the statement
anchored off the coast of and 586 crew on board the extends coronavirus curfew
aboard a cruise ship now said. There are 1,243 guests

Panama and two people Zaandam.
aboard the ship have test- The Zaandam departed By DANICA COTO COVID-19," she said. er from Italy.
ed positive for the novel Buenos Aires, Argentina, on SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) All non-essential businesses Also on Thursday, the gov-
coronavirus, the cruise line March 7. The ship was try- — The U.S. territory of Puer- will remain shuttered until ernor announced Puerto
said Friday. ing to get to Fort Lauder- to Rico announced Thurs- mid-April, and people will Rico's third health secre-
Holland America Line said dale, Florida, after being day that it would extend a only be allowed to leave tary in less than two weeks:
in a post on its Facebook denied permission to dock two-week curfew to April their homes or hotels to go Lorenzo González, a psy-
page that more than 130 at its original destination of 12 and warned of new re- to the bank or buy food chiatrist who served as the
people aboard the Zaan- Chile a week ago. strictions to help curb coro- or medicine. The curfew island's health secretary
dam had reported flu-like The Rotterdam rendez- navirus cases that are the extension is expected to during the 2009 H1N1 pan-
symptoms. voused with the Zaandam strictest of any U.S. jurisdic- further deepen the island's demic. The appointment
"Holland America Line can Thursday evening. tion. 13-year recession, even comes hours after former
confirm that four older "It is only authorized to do Gov. Wanda Vázquez said though the governor on health secretary Concep-
guests have passed away ship-to-ship maneuvers. No non-essential workers will Monday announced a ción Quiñones resigned
on Zaandam," the state- one aboard is allowed to have to be home by 7 p.m. $787 million financial pack- for unknown reasons. She
ment said. "Our thoughts come ashore," said Pan- starting March 31, two hours age as Puerto Rico struggles had been appointed af-
and prayers are with their ama's Maritime Authority earlier than the current cur- to recover from Hurricane ter Rafael Rodríguez re-
families and we are doing Administrator Noriel Araúz. few. In addition, vehicles Maria and a recent string signed earlier this month
everything we can to sup- The Zaandam had planned with license plates ending of strong earthquakes that over complaints over how
port them during this diffi- to pass through the Pan- in even numbers can only together caused billions of Puerto Rico's health de-
cult time." ama Canal en route to transit Monday, Wednes- dollars in damage. partment was handling
The ship was receiving Florida, but after being in- day and Friday. Those end- Dr. Segundo Rodríguez, COVID-19 cases.
medical supplies and spected by Panamanian ing in uneven numbers can who leads a government Puerto Rico remains without
medical personnel from authorities, the request to only transit Tuesday, Thurs- task force to fight the coro- an epidemiologist. Vázquez
another Holland America use the canal was denied, day and Saturday. navirus in Puerto Rico, said abruptly announced dur-
ship, the Rotterdam and said canal Administra- Vázquez said the new re- he estimates there are ing the press conference
the company planned to tor Ricauter Vásquez. The strictions are in response more than 600 people in- that the previous one, Car-
begin transferring healthy Health Ministry "did not give to the nearly 400 people fected on the island of 3.2 men Deseda, whom health
passengers to that ship. permission," Vásquez told who have been cited for million people given that officials criticized for her
"Priority for the first guests reporters Friday. "The ship is violating a curfew imposed more than 60 have tested role during the coronavirus
to transfer will be given to in territorial waters but has March 15. She stressed that positive so far. The govern- pandemic, was no longer
those on Zaandam with in- to remain isolated."q non-essential workers have ment also has reported two with the health depart-
to stay home. COVID-19 deaths: a tourist ment. She did not offer fur-
"That the best antidote to from New York and anoth- ther details.q