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At Least 42,000 Cruise Ship Workers Still Stuck At Sea

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — At least 42,000 cruise ship workers are still stuck at sea because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald reports the workers remain trapped on the vessels without paychecks, and some still are suffering from the coronavirus, three months after the industry shut down.

Cruise lines stopped sailing in mid-March after several high-profile outbreaks at sea. More than 600 people fell ill aboard Carnival Corp.'s Diamond Princess while it was quarantined off Japan, for example. Fourteen passengers died.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has prohibited cruises in U.S. waters through July 24.

Some cruise ship workers have started being repatriated to their home countries.

About 3,000 Carnival Cruise Line workers got off in Croatia earlier this month to catch rides and flights home across Europe. MSC Cruises has flown more than 1,000 Indian crew members home on charter flights from Europe and South America. Royal Caribbean also flew more than 1,200 Filipino crew members home last week from Greece, Dubai, the United States and Barbados, according to the Herald.

Several Caribbean countries haven't allowed cruise ships to dock in their ports out of concerns that they would cause spikes in the number of virus cases. Only Barbados has allowed for crew repatriation flights from its airports.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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