Trump urges Florida to welcome virus-hit cruise ship
US president Donald Trump has urged Florida officials to let Dutch cruise ship, Holland America's MS Zaandam and its sister ship to dock.
The Dutch cruise ship has been stuck at sea with a coronavirus outbreak onboard.
Four have already died from the virus.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has declared the vessel is unwelcome and wanted to prevent its sick passengers from being "dumped" on his state.
But Trump said he would be speaking to the governor.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:
"There are people that are sick on the ship. And we don't want to be like, they're going to be ghost ships. You know, people turn those ships away. There was a ship, as you know, in a certain part of Asia and from port to port, nobody would take it. But in the meantime, we have people that are dying on the ship or at least very sick."
His remarks are in stark contrast to his previous response in February, to a different cruise ship, the Grand Princess.
The Zaandam, idled off the Pacific coast of Central America, was allowed to sail through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean on Sunday (March 29).
Nearly two-thirds of the passengers - those who passed a medical screening - were moved onto the Zaandam's sister ship, the Rotterdam, before the canal transit.
Over 70 passengers and 100 crew members were showing influenza-like symptoms, including eight testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday (March 30).
Both vessels -The Zaandam carrying nearly 1,000 passengers and crew, and the Rotterdam almost 1,500 are now headed to Port Everglades in Florida.
