Moncton women on board cruise ship hit with coronavirus
Two women from Moncton, N.B., are among the 248 Canadians stuck on a Holland American cruise ship that's been hit with the coronavirus.
Judy Menard boarded the Zaandam in Buenos Aires the first week of March.
The cruise ship was stuck off Panama's Pacific coast after four passengers died and more than 130 others developed influenza-like symptoms. At least two people are suspected to have the coronavirus.
Judy Menard's daughter, Alison, said she talks to her mom daily on the phone.
"When we speak she's always very sunshiny and positive," she said about her mother.
Menard and her travelling companion, Trudy Robertson, also from Moncton, have been confined to their cabin on the ship since March 22.
The women don't have access to the internet in the room, and have been relying on updates from family to find out what's happening on board their ship.
Including information about the four passengers that died on the ship.
"The captain did make an announcement that four people had died but they didn't provide any other information about the time frame or the circumstances," Alison Menard said.
"She would have found that out from us probably, maybe, 12 hours after we heard that information."
Menard said despite the stressful situation, the women are happy to be healthy and not have any symptoms of COVID-19.
Some passengers transferred to a second Holland America ship — the Rotterdam, but Menard said the two women from Moncton are staying on the original boat.
"Somebody, including medical staff, came cabin to cabin to get each of them to fill out a questionnaire, and then a doctor assessed each of them."
Alison said her mother has a cough that she's had for 30 years, but other than that she feels healthy.
Panama reversed its decision to block the ship from the canal and the ship will be allowed to proceed through the Panama Canal, the government said Saturday.
Menard doesn't know when the women from Moncton will make it back to Canada, but there will be a birthday to celebrate when her mother gets home.
Judy Menard is turning 77 on Tuesday, and although her original itinerary had her booked to be on the cruise for her birthday, she didn't plan to be in confinement.
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne says he has been co-ordinating with his Panamanian counterpart and will continue efforts to bring any non-infected Canadians home once the ship docks in Fort Lauderdale.
