FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. Coast Guard has directed all cruise ships to remain at sea where they may be sequestered “indefinitely" during the coronavirus pandemic and be prepared to send any severely ill passengers to the countries where the vessels are registered.
For most of the South Florida's cruise ships, that means the Bahamas, where people are still recovering from last year's hurricanes.
The rules, which apply to any vessel carrying more than 50 people, were issued in a March 29 safety bulletin signed by Coast Guard Rear Admiral E.C.
Jones, whose district includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. More than two dozen cruise ships are either lined up at Port Miami and Port Everglades or waiting offshore, the