As the Jamaica Observer reports in a recent article, For Cruise Crew Members Stuck at Sea, Mental Strain is Huge, many advocates of the cruise are not aware of what’s going on as the Coronavirus pandemic continues.
Thousands of crew members are essentially stuck on the cruise ships they were working on when the quarantine began – for some, that means being onboard the same ship for a month or longer while their vessel is docked in some port – Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and others.
That means they’ve been away from family and friends for much longer than expected, all while facing the potential for infection or even death from the virus.
Hundreds of crew members have been infected. Many have died, including 3 crew from Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in April and early May.
In the Jamaica Observer article, one crew member, a 26-year old, said he had been aboard the Seabourn Odyssey for 80 days even though it’s been docked in Barbados. The shore is a tantalizing 200 yards away, but no crew have been allowed to leave.
According to the article, nearly 60,000 cruise ship employees are still stuck on their cruise ships or other vessels.
More from the article:
“Many crew members may perceive their plight as a form of forced confinement, akin to jail, according to psychiatrist Eugenio Rothe.
“It can be felt as an emotional loss of everything that is important to the person’s life — their loved ones, their physical and geographical environment, their social environment,” said Rothe, a professor at Florida International University in Miami.
“And so there are feelings of abandonment, of loss, and of mourning, which could then in turn lead to depression and even suicidal ideation.”
Over the past two weeks, at least four crew members on separate ships have died of causes not linked to COVID-19.
One died of natural causes aboard the Mariner of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean spokesman said. The other three were apparent suicides — two of those people jumped overboard.”
At Waks and Barnett, aka, CruiseLawyers.com, we’ve been speaking with both crewmembers and passengers who have been impacted by Coronavirus. If you want to speak with an attorney, we’re here to help. Our contact information is: 1-800-905-2891. Call today for a free review of your claim.