GREAT NEWS- Valerie Myntti and Frank Sherman are now off the ship (as of late on April 2) and are now self-isolating in a family-owned condo in Miami for 14 days, and then will make the drive back home to Ely. See the letter they sent to the Timberjay at the end of this article....

UPDATE: The South Florida Sun Sentinel is reporting, as of midday on April 2, that the Zaandam will be allowed to dock, and most passengers will be evacuated. The procedures to deal with passengers exhibiting possible COVID-19 symptoms are being determined, and those requiring hospitalization will be receiving care at area hospitals.

REGIONAL- Two residents of Eagles Nest Township are among the approximately 400 passengers who remain marooned aboard a cruise ship that no port appears willing to let dock. Valerie Myntti and Frank Sherman are aboard Holland America’s Zaandam, where four people onboard have died and at least two passengers have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The couple flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in late February. After some sightseeing, they boarded the Zaandam on March 7. It was meant to be a month-long cruise around South America to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with more than a dozen calls at ports in South and Central America.
The Zaandam is now headed to southeastern Florida, but it may not be able to dock. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said he doesn’t want the ship at Port Everglades without stringent quarantine procedures. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News on Monday that his state can’t handle more potential COVID-19 cases.
Broward County, in Florida, is voting on whether or not to allow the ship to dock. The ships have already been turned away from Chile, then Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Colombia and Mexico.
Though she’s desperate to leave the Zaandam, or at least know where and when she’ll disembark, Myntti said she acknowledges the fears of Florida’s political leaders.
“Both the politicians in Broward County and the governor are there to protect the health and well-being of Floridians. And so, honestly, I understand where they’re coming from — especially when they may be the next epicenter of the coronavirus spread,” she said.
A group of friends in the Ely area have been working to create political pressure to come to a solution for the passengers who are trapped on the ship. Outreach to Minnesota representatives, especially to Fifth District Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s office, has produced public awareness and political pressure to find a solution for the ship and its passengers.
“Rep. Omar’s office, and Ilhan isn’t even my representative, has texted me every day,” Valerie reported. “Apparently they have extracted a promise from the CEO of Carnival, the parent company of Holland, to not abandon the passengers and crew and to make sure all get medical help and a passage home.” Valerie’s sister, Cynthia Myntti, has reported that Sen. Tina Smith’s office has also been in touch with their family.
“I think what Val’s friends are doing is incredibly smart and effective,” wrote Cynthia, who has been in touch with Valerie and Frank’s friends in Ely on a regular basis.
Valerie and Frank have also appreciated the efforts of their friends back home.
“We are so, so, so beyond touched,” Valerie writes. “Please thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts…Their care made this so much easier.”
In addition, Valerie has been in touch with investigative reporters based at the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, who have been reporting on the ship’s plight. The ship’s home port is at Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale.
Valerie told MPR News that their third stop, on March 14 in Chile, was the last time passengers were allowed off the ship. Passengers were told the cruise was suspended because ports in South America were being closed to cruise ships.
A week later, the crew abruptly canceled a black-tie event and passengers were told they would need to be confined due to a flu-like illness that was being reported on the ship.
At the start of the cruise, there were more than 1,200 passengers and nearly 600 staff aboard the ship. But over this past weekend, two-thirds of the guests were transferred to a Holland America sister ship, the Rotterdam. The company said this was meant to lighten the crew’s workload, not to separate the healthy from the sick.
From the Zaandam, Myntti said they’re being treated well, and the captain is doing his best to keep passengers informed about the evolving situation. But she and her husband have been allowed out of their small, windowless stateroom only once in eight days. They have to wear a mask even when picking up their meals from outside the door.
“It would be nice to see some sunshine,” Sherman said.
“We nap throughout the day. We watch cooking shows. We journal. We do all kinds of stuff. Our emotions run the gamut from being hopeful and still excited down to despair and wonderment at this situation,” said Valerie.
Neither is feeling 100 percent. Valerie said she’s had a fever off and on and has done the majority of talking via FaceTime with friends, family and reporters because her husband has a cough.
The Zaandam spent several days at anchor off the west coast of Panama as the cruise line negotiated with officials to let the ship pass through the canal. Myntti and Sherman watched what was supposed to be a highlight of their trip in their room via closed-circuit TV.
But Myntti hopes there’s a solution that both protects the health of those on shore and gets much needed help to those stuck aboard the Zaandam.

Matt Sepic, of Minnesota Public Radio, contributed to this report.

Greetings from Miami Beach!

Thank you, Jodi, for the amazing story on the Zaandam’s plight in today’s Timberjay.... Someone on Eagles Nest just texted it to us.  Well done!

Frank and I got off the ship in the VERY first group last night at 7:30 pm. I wanted to be the LAST OFF the Zaandam to make sure all folks got the medical help they needed— including the sick crew. But it was NOT TO BE!

The plan to leave the ship created by Holland America— and approved by the Broward County decision-makers— was incredibly detailed and strict. Very impressive!

It could have been a logistical nightmare but instead, it was incredibly well organized and well thought out! Because we own a home in Boca Raton — we were treated as Fla residents. We told them we were NOT RESIDENTS per se—but that we could easily quarantine at our house in Boca Raton, or at a family condo in Miami Beach.

The cruise line ushered one couple at a time off the ship into the port — we collected our suitcases that had been sterilized — and were put into a ‘Covid-sanitized’ limo — with a driver to our condo. We are now ensconced in a two-bedroom apartment in a small art deco building on Collins Ave. It is a veritable feast of space after being confined to our small windowless stateroom for 13 days!

Yes— this methodical process of disembarkation will take multiple days to accomplish to remove all guests on the Rotterdam and Zaandam in such a safe and orderly way. ABSOLUTELY no one at all was able to just walk off either ship— loose and on their own. THE DISEMBARKATION PROCESS IS TIGHTLY CONTROLLED TO SAFEGUARD THE HEALTH OF THE GUESTS, the PORT EMPLOYEES, THE SECURITY PERSONNEL, and THE LOCALS!!

Florida residents were taken off the Zaandam first — last eve —and chauffeured home couple- by-couple — wherever they lived. Orlando! Tampa! Key West! Pensacola! Everyone got a driver and their own car from the Port to their front door....

Today— the International passengers leaving the Zaandam —are taking chartered buses to chartered flights home anywhere in the world. It will take three or 4 days to do this operation carefully and safely...Holland America organized and is underwriting the entire operation.

The critically ill were ambulanced to local hospitals immediately when we docked at 4:30 pm yesterday. I have no idea how many poor souls were in that category... we wish them a speedy recovery!

The folks who are sick— but not critically ill—among the  staff and passengers— will remain on the ship for treatment with Holland America doctors.

All who got off the Zaandam must isolate and quarantine for 14 days. We will be back home in Ely in about 18 days, after 14 days of isolation in South Beach in Miami and a road-trip back to Minnesota.

We are fine.  We are Elyites, after all. My grandmother taught me the meaning of sisu every day that she lived!

This adventure started with a bang and ended in tragedy.  We take personal responsibility for this miscalculation. We only have the greatest respect for the Holland America cruise-line—and the captain and crew were nothing short of heroic. Their compassionate care throughout this ordeal was nothing short of super human!  Frank and I have so many stories to share of pure heroism. The final thing, we would like to say is ‘Thank you’ to Captain Ane Jan Smit of the Zaandam. While the captain had dying passengers onboard, and he was desperately and frantically begging for emergency medical help from six different countries that all ultimately said no, Captain Smit maintained his calm, professional, wise, and humane manner as the leader of the Zaandam. Frank and I would travel to the four corners of the earth with Captain Smit as our fearless leader!

We thank all our friends in Ely, and throughout the US, who demanded that our elected officials work for a humane resolution of the Zaandam’s plight. It honestly worked! We are so grateful and touched.

The staffs of Rep Ilhan Omer, Sen Tina Smith, Sen Amy Klobuchar, and Rep Stauber — as well as the NY reps and senators— checked in with us almost daily...  None of them could believe how many of our friends across the country were bugging them to get us home. And, even Elizabeth Warren was brought into it!

Thank you—Ely and the media—for keeping the plight of the Zaandam front and center, for your support, and for your advocacy! It was so deeply touching. We will never ever forget it!

Valerie Myntti
Frank Sherman

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-469750017 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}