Caribbean Princess cleared to dock in Florida after crew tests negative for COVID-19
UPDATE 3/11/2020: The Caribbean Princess cruise ship docked in Port Everglades early Wednesday.
Passengers on the Caribbean Princess cruise ship cheered Tuesday as the captain said over the loudspeaker that the ship has been cleared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to dock in Port Everglades.
Princess Cruises, owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation, first advised Caribbean Princess cruisers late Sunday that the CDC had issued a “no-sail order” for the ship after learning that some crew members from the San Francisco-based Grand Princess ship had been transferred to the Fort Lauderdale-based Caribbean Princess about two weeks ago. Twenty-one cases of novel coronavirus have been confirmed aboard the Grand Princess, 19 of them crew.
The Caribbean Princess was on a round-trip 10-day cruise from Port Everglades to the Panama Canal.
The ship stopped off the shore of the Cayman Islands Monday, where test kits were delivered and retrieved by a small boat, according to passengers on board.
The ship was originally scheduled to visit Grand Cayman and return to Port Everglades on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Port Everglades said that the Wednesday morning arrival time has not changed.
Three people who worked at Port Everglades for a cruise company subcontractor, Metro Cruise Services, have tested positive for the virus, the Florida Health Department announced Monday.
Metro Cruise Services released a statement late Tuesday, writing that it had been notified by public health authorities that three part-time employees have tested positive for COVID-19. The affected employees work at various PortEverglades terminals providing luggage services, the statement said.
“We were unaware that any of our part-time employees were sick until we were notified by the authorities,” said company president Anthony Newman via the release. “We then immediately notified all of our Port Everglades employees that one of their associates had tested positive and advised them that, if they have any symptoms, they should seek medical assistance and not report to work. We are assisting all relevant governmental agencies with their inquiries and instructions. The health and safety of our workforce and those they encounter remain our top priority.”
Metro Cruise Services posted a job opening last month on LinkedIn for part-time “Cruise Line Agents” to work at Port Everglades for Princess Cruises. The company described itself as “the ground handler that works with Princess Cruises in Port Everglades” in the job listing, and said agents would be paid $11 an hour. Tasks include helping guests board transportation from the airport, assisting check-in for their cruise, and finding their luggage when they return from their trip.
As of Tuesday, the job listing was still accepting applications.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which also sails out of Port Everglades, said it does not contract with Metro Cruise Services. Carnival Corporation. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd. does not sail from Port Everglades.
This article was updated to clarify which cruise companies sail from PortEverglades.
Miami Herald reporter Michelle Marchante contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 2:19 PM.
