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Hun Sen defends decision to dock Westerdam cruise ship

He said no passenger onboard the Westerdam had tested positive for Covid-19, except for an 83-year-old American woman who tested positive in Malaysia. However, Hun Sen questioned where the woman became infected.

“The case of the woman in Malaysia is a different story. She was the only passenger that tested positive and now she has recovered and is back in her country. She will say whatever she wants to say about how she became infected.

“We didn’t find anything wrong with her when she was here. So, did she contract the disease in Cambodia or in Malaysia?” Hun Sen asked.

He stressed that the case of the infected passenger had not created tensions with Malaysia. “Some say that there is a diplomatic dispute between Cambodia and Malaysia regarding the case of the 83-year-old American woman.

“I want to emphasise that there is no dispute. We are simply asking for an explanation because we did not find any trace of the disease when she was here, but then she tested positive in Malaysia. Where did she contract the disease?

“It is highly unlikely that she would test positive while her husband and thousands of others at the ship tested negative. But, I reiterate, there is no diplomatic dispute between Cambodia and Malaysia,” Hun Sen stressed.

The prime minister thanked Thailand for confirming that none of the Westerdam passengers was infected upon entering Bangkok after leaving Phnom Penh.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-defends-decision-dock-westerdam-cruise-ship

Really puzzling - this single person infection on a cruise ship.

Two passengers from Westerdam traveling on Qatar Airways flight to Tan Son Nhat airport in Vietnam had normal body temperature and no symptoms of respiratory illness. All the other passengers on the flight had no fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

https://baovephapluat.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/doi-song-xa-hoi/giam-sat-hanh-khach-den-tu-du-thuyen-westerdam-den-san-bay-tan-son-nhat-83363.html

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the 83-year-old woman who is currently being treated at the Sungai Buloh Hospital has been tested repeatedly for Covid-19, with the results showing that she is clear of the virus.

“Her tests have come up negative. However, she is still being kept in hospital because she is not that well and still has symptoms.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/02/21/wan-azizah-american-in-malaysia-who-tested-positive-for-covid-19-clear-of-virus

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam plans to handle flights that have passengers onboard Westerdam

On the afternoon of February 20, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control said that passengers on the Westerdam ship will move to go home. On the way home, there will be passengers transiting in Ho Chi Minh City.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has set up handling measures on flights with passengers from Westerdam with a time from the arrival of Sihanoukville less than 14 days, to ensure safety for the passengers traveling on the same trip.

Ho Chi Minh City has asked three airlines to share passengers' information with each other to capture the situation of passengers who book available tickets, then book another ticket to avoid the tracking and surveillance of diseases in accordance with the provisions of Vietnam.Currently, the route Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh City has 3 operating airlines are Vietnam Airlines, Qatar and K6. According to the latest information, only Qatar carriers will receive passengers from Westerdam. Information about the flights of passengers who have been aboard the Westerdam is due to the reservations. However, 3 days ago, all guests have canceled the flight.

Flights with passengers who have traveled aboard the Westerdam will be allocated seats suitable for health monitoring and to limit the infection of passengers. Ho Chi Minh City is also preparing an isolation plan if it detects passengers with suspected symptoms.

Airlines will provide a detailed list of all passengers,  information and destinations after arriving at Tan Son Nhat airport (including people on entry, connecting flights). Passengers will be approached to assess the health situation. All passengers will carry out medical clearance on board.

In addition, the International Health Quarantine Center will coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control to inform passengers about the disease situation of COVID - 19 and the regulations of the Vietnamese Government for people on entry. to prevent disease. Passengers who have traveled aboard the Westerdam, and passengers traveling on board should comply with the guidelines and regulations of the Government of Vietnam to minimize the risk of COVID – 19 infection.

Depending on the specific situation, passengers traveling on these flights, when entering Vietnam, will be advised to monitor their health at home, home isolation or forced isolation. Cases of passengers not responding properly will be handled according to the laws of Vietnam.

(google translated)

https://www.phunuonline.com.vn/tphcm-len-phuong-an-xu-ly-chuyen-bay-co-khach-tung-di-tren-tau-westerdam-a1403812.html

Update: 2/20/2020 2 am Pacific Time
The Cambodian Ministry of Health has issued a statement confirming that all 747 crew on board Westerdam have tested negative for COVID-19. This in addition to the announcement yesterday that 781 guests in Cambodia tested negative and were cleared to begin their travels home. All testing was conducted by the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh.

Twenty-five crew members were originally scheduled to disembark the ship on Feb. 15 at the end of their work contracts. They will now begin their travels home. The rest of the crew will remain on Westerdam to continue their work contracts.

This completes the testing ordered by the Cambodian Ministry of Health related to Westerdam. It is anticipated the ship will remain alongside in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, for a few more days until its future itinerary is finalized. The next scheduled cruise on Feb. 29 was previously cancelled.

Holland America Line sincerely thanks Cambodia’s Honorable Prime Minister Hun, the Cambodian Ministry of Health and all those in Cambodia who have worked so hard to get our guests home and help clear our crew.

Our sincere gratitude also goes to the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia for all of its hard work and support. We also appreciate the embassies from several other nations that provided their vital assistance and our flag state of the Netherlands for its many efforts.

We would also like to thank the regional authorities from the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their guidance.

...He added that for the last of the 233 WESTERDAM tourists who left Sihanoukville, arrived at Phnom Penh at about 7 pm because they were too tired to perform their show but on the day Tomorrow will be performing for him from 4pm.

According to Thong Khon, with information from Orlando's chairman Westerdam, tomorrow evening, more than 400 Sokha hotel guests will fly to destinations in some countries to visit their respective countries. 

(google translate)

http://www.freshnewsasia.com/index.php/en/localnews/148908-2020-02-19-15-33-34.html

And the latest one (15 minutes ago):

A good and informative article

https://www.otandp.com/blog/wuhan-virus-the-distinction-between-a-disease-and-an-epidemic?hs_amp=true

Didn't 83 yr old passenger husband diagnosed with pneumonia in Malaysia?

It might be him.

He's clear from Covid-19, BTW

Not everyone finds a flight from Cambodia

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/4778856002?__twitter_impression=true

Interesting interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s point man on infectious diseases at USAtoday:

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/02/17/new-coronavirus-what-dont-we-know-dr-anthony-fauci-q-a-opinion/4790996002/

Really sad news.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Cambodian authorities would use three aircraft for the passenger ship of MS Westerdam from Cambodia to other countries today.

In handing over a diploma to students at the National Institute of Education today, Mr. Hun Sen said that about 500 MS Westerdam passengers staying in Phnom Penh would leave Cambodia on a 777 aircraft that could transport them. More than 300 people flew to Dubai.

Hun Sen said:  1 aircraft carrying more than 300 people from the capital to Dubai. According to information from the ship's side. Another plane will take from Phnom Penh to Japan, and there will be another plane from Sihanoukville to the capital of any country in our region. ” .

http://www.camnews.org/2020/02/18/លោក-ហ៊ុន-សែន-ថ្លែងថា-យន្ត/

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/nih-official-diamond-princess-quarantine-failed

"The quarantine process failed," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, speaking to USA Today. "I'd like to sugarcoat it and try to be diplomatic about it, but it failed . . . Something went awry in the process of the quarantining on that ship. I don't know what it was, but a lot of people got infected on that ship."

And what if all tests came out negative?

It would make Malaysia test false and great deal of general tests for covid-19 very unreliable.

No, it was the same supervisor, parallel wiping both ships. 😄

Was this mentioned here:

Quote Tweet

 

Christina Kerby

 

@ChristinaKerby

· 5h

Uplifting news tonight. Of 406 #COVID19 tests performed so far on #Westerdam passengers in Phnom Penh, all are negative. The president of @HALcruises greeted us personally and assured us they’re continuing to work on getting us home as quickly and safely as possible.

 

Yes, that's the second name

12 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

following her and wiping surfaces that she was touching

It was on Princess ship if I'm not wrong.

Update: 2/17/2020 9:30 am Pacific Time
As we are still working through the extremely complex factors and decisions of itinerary planning, no cancellations for cruises with departure dates beyond Feb. 29 have been announced at this time. We understand that our guests are eager to learn more about their departures, and we are assessing future cruise itineraries as quickly as possible. We will announce an update as soon as plans are finalized. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/ships/ms-westerdam/statement-regarding-westerdam-in-japan/?linkId=82516599

http://m.en.freshnewsasia.com/index.php/en/internationalnews/16745-2020-02-17-06-40-07.html