Of the many ways that you can arrive in Key West, I continue to receive a great deal of concern regarding the cruise ship passengers disembarking in Key West. To that point, we met with Coast Guard Captain Adam Chamie this morning and I want to share our discussion with you.
As Captain of the Port, Coast Guard Captain Adam Chamie receives notification of any person who exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19. He reviews this report every evening for vessels scheduled to enter Key West the next morning.
“Vessels entering a US port like Key West are also required to report to the Center for Disease Control any sick passengers, which would include symptoms of the novel coronavirus,” according to Capt. Chamie. If any passenger should exhibit symptoms of the Coronavirus, that ship is turned away and denied disembarkation in Key West. This denial occurs several miles off shore at the sea buoy located at the head of the channel. When I asked Captain Chamie if any vessels had been turned away since the outbreak, he responded, “No.”
The Coast Guard continues to be vigilant and hypersensitive to the ever-changing conditions surrounding COVID-19.
With this outbreak, the CDC has updated their Interim Guidance for Ships on Managing Suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (see https://go.usa.gov/xdfyG) which was updated on March 9th.
As of noon today, our port remains open and safe. Should that condition change we will not hesitate to request an immediate port closure to cruise ships.
Mayor Teri Johnston
