27-year-old Royal Caribbean crew member youngest to die from COVID-19 in South Florida
Through the passageways of the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship, if anyone heard the word “Dab” yelled from behind them, they knew it was Pujiyoko calling out for them, using his special term of endearment for “friend.”
The 27-year-old joined Royal Caribbean in the housekeeping department in 2016 because he could make more money at sea than at home in Indonesia, and he wanted to help his family, friends say. He also wanted to see the world.
On April 12, Pujiyoko became the youngest person in South Florida to die from COVID-19, one of at least three crew members who have died in South Florida hospitals after being evacuated from coronavirus-infected cruise ships weeks after the industry shut down in mid-March.
The word “Dab” peppers memorials to Pujiyoko on Facebook.
“Rest in peace, dab,” one reads. “Hope you get a good place aside God.”
Pujiyoko, who has a single name, was born in the town of Temanggung in Central Java Province of Indonesia, about a six-hour drive from Jakarta. His family could not be reached for this story.
A childhood friend who calls him Yoko said the two grew up walking to and from school together. Pujiyoko studied multimedia and graphic design in high school.
When he returned from his months-long contracts at sea, he could buy supplies for his family, like motorbikes. He had one younger brother, who is still in high school.
“His parents were proud and happy that his son worked on a cruise ship,” the friend said via message. “He is a quiet and kind person.”
Royal Caribbean colleagues describe him as grateful, peaceful and religious. He enjoyed playing Fifa on PlayStation, and prayed often. A colleague who worked with Pujiyoko on the Voyager of the Seas ship in 2018 said she was shocked to hear that he had been hospitalized with COVID-19 because he did not have any health problems.
“I try to message him, but he didn’t answer,” she said. “He’s my good friend, he’s so humble, grateful and so kind to everyone. He has a big dream. He wants to make his family happy so he choose to work as a seaman. He never have any sickness even, he was still healthy.”
Symphony of the Seas colleagues say they did not know Pujiyoko was in critical condition until the captain announced he had died over the loudspeaker on the ship on Tuesday. The death was also announced on a nearby Royal Caribbean ship, the Oasis of the Seas, which is also experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak among crew members.
“I have very sad news to bring over to you as well,” the captain said, according to a recording obtained by the Herald. “One of our colleagues on the Symphony of the Seas passed away yesterday and so our prayers and thoughts go out to his family, close family and extended family of course. It’s always very sad when one of our colleagues are passing.”
The company waited two weeks to isolate crew members of the Symphony of the Seas after first learning of a possible COVID-19 infection on board.
During a March 7 cruise, Royal Caribbean notified the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that someone on the ship had COVID-19 symptoms. The ship offloaded all of its passengers at PortMiami on March 15, after canceling new cruises due to the pandemic, and kept crew on board. The company waited until March 27 to isolate crew members in individual cabins.
More than 80,000 crew members remain on board about 100 cruise ships lingering in U.S. waters; more than 20 of the vessels have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 outbreaks, according to the CDC.
Royal Caribbean did not respond to requests for comment about Pujiyoko’s death when the Herald reported it on Monday. The Herald reported that a Symphony of the Seas crew member with respiratory problems was evacuated from the ship on March 30. The company did not immediately confirm whether the crew member evacuated was Pujiyoko, or whether other crew members have been evacuated. Royal Caribbean declined to comment on how many crew members on the ship have COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive.
After this story published, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said in an email, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the entire crew during this difficult time.”
Friends of Pujiyoko who remain on the ship say they have not been told whether other colleagues are sick.
“In this pandemic we just hope to get back home as soon as possible in a safe condition,” one said. “Most of the crew we’re stressful. We don’t even know when we can get home. We are surrounding by this worst situation.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 12:10 PM.
