BELIZE CITY, Sat. May 23, 2020– A cruise ship arrived in the Belize City harbor late this morning to return its 14 Belizean employees who had been stranded at sea onboard the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas as a result of a global shutdown that occurred as countries tried to avert the threat of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a number of cruise ships being stranded on the high seas. In some cases, cruise ships were refused entry at various ports because of passengers who were infected with the novel coronavirus Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas has a crew of 765 and has capacity for 2,416 guests. The ship dropped off 14 Belizeans who are employed by Royal Caribbean cruise line.
Although the Belizean employees from the cruise line are home, they are not yet free to enter society. In accordance with the stipulations of the Ministry of Health, they will be quarantined for the next 14 days.
Their employer, Royal Caribbean, has agreed to foot the cost of their hotel stay at the Radisson Fort George Hotel.
Since the Belize borders have been closed, many Belizeans have been left stranded overseas. Because Belize has no active case of the novel coronavirus, government has begun the relaxation of some of the strict measures it implemented when the country went into its lockdown on April 1.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health are working in coordination with the Ministry of National Security to repatriate Belizeans who have been locked out of the country due to the measures that were implemented to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
In accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines, all returning Belizeans will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
Belizeans who want to return home must first fill out a form provided on the government COVID-19 website, and await a response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Government has explained that if returning Belizeans can afford to pay for their own quarantine, those will be allowed to return more quickly than those persons whose period of quarantine will be paid for by the government.
Feature photo: Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas