The Stop of Cruise Ships Docking All Because of COVID-19

This virus is a disaster for us and this will be a disastrous time for the industry. The
St.Maarten business is based on tourism and we get our tourists by the docking of the cruises
here. Passengers on several cruise lines have tested positive for the new coronavirus in recent
days, complicating efforts by the industry to suspend its operations. Several cruise ships are
stranded at sea, some with confirmed coronavirus cases on board, as the pandemic expands
around the globe. Some ships have been denied port, leaving them to anchor off the coast of a
country. Other cruises have docked with quarantined passengers aboard.
There were a few cruises that docked at the harbour and the passengers were leaving the
cruise too, but at that time the government wasn’t taking it really seriously. Now after they
confirmed that there is a case in the hospital and it is positive for coronavirus, they are taking a
lot of precautions which is good but bad too. The passengers can’t leave the cruise and because
of that the businesses are closed. I heard that if a business opens then they will have to pay a fine,
that is pretty much not logical but I think it is a good way to prevent the businesses from
opening.
If the ships are not going to dock for two weeks or more then where are we going to get
our finance from? From that finance, our parents pay the bills and our nourishment. After the
disastrous hurricane IRMA around 3 years ago occurred, the economy of St.Maarten has been
trying to improve its stability. The economy was just slowly coming up and everyone was
coming on the right path, until this virus came to the island. My mom can’t open her store
because she is not allowed to and to be honest, it doesn’t make sense because her customers are
from the ship. My dad is a wholesaler so we get a little help from there, but all I am thinking is
what if some of the people who work for others and have a family to take care of are going to get
their money from and how are they going to pay their bills. The owners should pay their
employees even though they aren't going to be at work doing their job.
Hopefully this virus disappears and everything comes back to normal just how it was
before this existed. People really have to take precautions otherwise it can spread more, and this
is something everyone should understand. All I can say is stay safe and stay healthy!

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/celebrity-eclipse-cruise-ship-chile-
coronavirus
https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-hits-more-cruise-ships-leaving-vessels-stuck-at-sea-
11584373335
Name: Ridhi Parwani
Class: 4A
Subject: Religion
Teacher: Ms.Judy