Up to a dozen Irish citizens are on board a cruise liner which is being refused entry to Panama after four passengers died from coronavirus and more than 140 others contracted the virus.
RTÉ News understands the Irish passengers are on board the Seattle-based Holland America cruise ship the Zaandam, which has been blocked from travelling through the Panama Canal due to the outbreak and is now re-routing to San Diego.
The Zaandam embarked from Buenos Aires in Argentina on 7 March with 1,243 passengers and 586 crew on board. However, after concerns emerged during its voyage, it was stopped from travelling on its original route, forcing it to base itself off the coast of Panama and to request permission to re-route to San Diego in California.