Deadly virus scare strands cruise ship at sea as countries refuse to let it dock
I do not understand why people want to visit a floating petri dish disguised as a 1990s mall built inside a terrible hotel. Is it the buffet?
A cruise ship carrying 149 people has been denied permission to dock after a suspected hantavirus outbreak has left three dead and others seriously ill, forcing those onboard into isolation as authorities scramble to contain the situation.
One person, a British national, is in a hospital intensive care unit in Johannesburg, South Africa, that country’s health ministry said in a statement. It said that the unidentified patient was in “critical condition.”
So far this remains the one confirmed hantavirus case. The five others are suspected cases.
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The WHO stressed that there was no need for alarm.
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Kluge said he was in contact with authorities in Europe and South Africa to ensure a “science-based response.”
I do not understand why people want to visit a floating petri dish disguised as a 1990s mall built inside a terrible hotel. Is it the buffet?
While I agree completely with your view of cruises, and I avoid them like the plague (too soon?), I would like to point out that this ship does not appear to be the kind that you describe. It has 149 passengers, not several thousand. I was on a similar ship, for a cruise around Patagonia, and that ship had no casino, no "entertainment", no disco, no pool, nothing resembling a mall in any way. The food wasn't great, but they did try to put out appetizing meals.
Still, sure, a floating petri dish, just less populated and crowded than the ones you're imagining.