Cruise Disembarkation Permission Granted in Cambodia..."The Real Disease Is Not the Virus but Fear"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The cruise ship Westerdam, which was refused entry by five countries due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and drifted for 14 days before receiving entry permission from Cambodia, has been granted disembarkation permission. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen personally handed bouquets to passengers, emphasizing humanitarian actions.

According to foreign media such as the AP News, on the morning of the 14th, Cambodian health authorities permitted all passengers on the Westerdam to disembark, and passengers began to get off. Prime Minister Hun Sen went to the pier at Sihanoukville Port, where the Westerdam was docked, personally welcoming disembarking passengers by handing them bouquets. In an interview with the media that day, Prime Minister Hun Sen emphasized, "The real disease is not the virus but fear," and "Humanitarian actions are necessary especially in times of crisis."

The Westerdam, a large cruise ship carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members, departed Singapore at the end of last month, called at Hong Kong, and then departed Hong Kong on the 1st of this month. However, after news spread that a suspected COVID-19 patient was on board, five countries?Japan, Taiwan, the U.S. territory of Guam, the Philippines, and Thailand?refused entry, causing the ship to drift at sea for 14 days.

On the 13th, after the Cambodian government granted entry permission, the ship docked at Sihanoukville Port in Cambodia. That afternoon, Cambodian health authorities checked the health status of all Westerdam passengers, took samples from 20 passengers showing cold symptoms for detailed testing, and confirmed that there were no COVID-19 cases. Passengers who disembarked from the ship were transported to Sihanoukville Airport and then flown by charter plane to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, from where they will return home by their respective flights.