Disney Wonder cruise ship worker dies at sea, will be tested for COVID-19
A man who worked as a painter aboard the Disney Wonder died Tuesday.
Eddie Burgos Ragodon of the Philippines had visited the ship’s medical center in recent days with chills, according to a colleague who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. The ship is traveling around the Caribbean to repatriate crew members who have been stuck on board since the industry shut down in March.
Disney Cruise Line will test Ragodon for COVID-19, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via email.
“We are saddened by yesterday’s passing of our longtime Crew Member, and we are mourning along with his family,” said company spokesperson Kim Prunty in an email.
At least 255 people on board the Disney Wonder have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 1, the CDC said, making it among the largest known cruise ship outbreaks.
The ship has a “provisionally green” status from the CDC, meaning there have not been any crew members showing COVID-19-like illnesses for 28 days. The last positive COVID-19 case on board was on May 8, according to the company. The ship has fewer than 300 crew on board.
Colleagues say Ragodon had many friends on board the ship and was always smiling. He worked on the Disney Magic ship based in PortMiami from December 2019 until early March 2020 when he transferred to the Wonder, according to his Facebook. His wife and children live in Las Piñas, Philippines. They could not be reached for this story.
The Disney Wonder docked in San Diego on March 19 to offload its last passengers after the industry shut down on March 13. Several passengers and crew members tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized. Ragodon continued to work as part of the essential crew while others were isolated in their cabins.
In early May, Disney Cruise Line tested all crew on board using PCR tests after crew were isolated in their cabins for several weeks. The majority of crew who tested positive in May were asymptomatic, according to the company.
On June 13, Ragodon shared photos on Facebook of other Filipino crew members leaving the ship in Barbados to fly home. “Me...i will stay on board until ????” he wrote.
On Sunday he shared a Father’s Day message. His kids replied, asking him to be safe.
Since the pandemic began, a Miami Herald investigation has found that at least 16 crew members have died of COVID-19, including several in South Florida hospitals. Several others have died from apparent suicides while awaiting repatriation. At least 28,000 cruise workers are still waiting to go home, including 350 on Disney’s four ships.
Jamaica, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize in Central America have all reported positive COVID-19 infections among repatriated workers in recent weeks.
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 6:50 PM.
