(Bloomberg) --

Carnival Corp. urged Florida’s Broward County to accept two Holland America Line ships on humanitarian grounds as they sailed for Fort Lauderdale with sick passengers and nowhere else to turn.

Dozens of people have shown flulike symptoms on board the Zaandam, which was denied requests to dock in ports across Latin America. It had been sailing there on a voyage that left Buenos Aires on March 7.

Speaking to a meeting of the Broward County Commission, Carnival Chief Maritime Officer William Burke said two people on board the Zaandam needed emergency medical evacuation “if they make it here.”

“We are coming to the place of last resort,” Burke said.

Vulnerable but healthy passengers were already transferred to another ship, the Rotterdam, which was sent to rendezvous with the Zaandam off Panama. The Rotterdam is also sailing for Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades.

Currently, 14 people have flulike symptoms, Burke said. Of 11 Covid-19 tests conducted, nine tested positive. Burke said the tests were based on “rapid” tests that can have false negatives.

The meeting was ongoing Tuesday.

Four people died on the Zaandam earlier in the journey. It was already at sea when the U.S. State Department on March 8 advised Americans not to embark on cruises. President Donald Trump on March 13said he asked cruise lines to suspend sailings, though some had already announced they were doing so voluntarily.

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