Forbidden to join the port of San Antonio in Chile where he was to end his voyage or any other South American port, the Zaandam has been floating in Panama waters for several days. Among its 1,800 passengers, several dozen have flu-like symptoms, two passengers were infected with Covid-19 and four others died on board.
READ ALSO> Coronavirus: "We are dead on the brink", the plight of the French stranded aboard the Zaandam
To avoid amplifying the contamination, the cruise line Holland America has chartered a second liner the Rotterdam to tranship healthy passengers there, after strict sanitary controls.