Westerdam ship finally allowed to dock in Cambodia after being turned away by five countries amidst fears of Coronavirus spread

A cruise ship which spent two weeks at sea after being abandoned by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus arrived in Cambodia on Thursday to the relief of passengers and the praise of global health officials. Holland America Line said the MS Westerdam has been authorized to dock the ship Thursday in the port of Sihanoukville. “All approvals have been received and we are extremely grateful to the Cambodian authorities for their support,” the cruise line said in a statement. The Westerdam left Singapore last month, then stopped off Feb. 1 in Hong Kong, where 50 cases of the viral disease have been confirmed.

The vessel was then turned away from stopping in Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, the US territory of Guam and, most recently, Thailand even though there were no confirmed cases among the passengers. World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Cambodia for allowing the Westerdam to dock.“This is an example of international solidarity we have been consistently calling for,” Tedros said ahead of the ship’s arrival. “Outbreaks can bring out the best and the worst in people.” As per latest reports, The death toll in the coronavirus outbreak in China has now reached more than 1,355, after 242 people died from the virus on Wednesday, the highest daily toll since the outbreak began late last year.