Cruise Ship to Dock in <br />Cambodia After Being Stranded <br />at Sea Over Coronavirus Fears The MS Westerdam has been stranded at sea since<br />Feb. 6, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denied<br />its docking in the country over fear of COVID-19. Despite repeatedly confirming that there<br />were no cases of the Wuhan coronavirus<br />onboard, the cruise ship was denied<br />entry by country after country. Aside from Japan, the ship was also denied the ability to<br />dock in Thailand, Taiwan, Guam and the Philippines. Cruise company Holland America Line announced on Feb. 12<br />that the MS Westerdam, which departed from Hong Kong, would<br />finally be allowed to dock in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The ship’s 1,455 passengers will disembark on Feb. 13<br />and transfer via charter flights to Phnom Penh, Cambodia,<br />where they will then continue to their respective homes. Holland America Line has pledged to arrange and<br />pay for all flights, as well as issue full cruise refunds<br />and future cruise credit to all passengers. Fear of cruise ships carrying the coronavirus has run rampant across the globe since the quarantine of the Diamond Princess<br />in Yokohama, Japan, and the World Dream in Hong Kong. The World Dream has since been cleared for disembarkation,<br />but the Diamond Princess, carrying 3,700 passengers and<br />crew, has remained in quarantine since Feb. 4. At least 175 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have<br />been found on board the Diamond Princess.
