Ottawans face long journey home after COVID-19 breaks out on cruise ships

At least five Ottawans are stuck on two separate cruise ships after cases of COVID-19 were detected on board.

Two couples from Orlansare hoping they'll eventually make it back to Canada after being trapped on Holland America's Zaandam, where some 130 passengers have developed influenza-like symptoms.

The ship, currently making its way north from Panama to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,is carrying more than 1,800 people, including248 Canadians 247 passengers and one crew member.

Four people have died, whiletwo others have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.Holland America has not identified the cause of the deaths.

"At first it was a fun cruise, but when we knew we had to stay in our little cabin, [it became]less fun," said Michel Cayouette, 66, who's stuck on board with his 63-year-old wife Lucie and another couple, Denise Lemire and Gilles Laporte.

"Before, you could walk around. It was niceto get some fresh air when you wanted," Cayouettetold Radio-Canadain a French-language interview.

The Zaandam had initially been denied passage through the Panama Canal, with Panamanian authorities citing sanitary reasons. That had passengers and crew wondering when they would get home.

On Saturday evening,the Panama government announced it would let the vessel pass. No passengers, however, are allowed to disembark.

The federal government has confirmed that none of the dead passengers are Canadian citizens, and said Saturday it was working to repatriate those who were on board.

Many of the symptomless Zaandam passengers have already been transferred to another cruise ship, the Rotterdam, also headed for Fort Lauderdale.

Lemire andLaporteare among them.

"The organization of the transfer was quite spectacular, very well co-ordinated," Lemire wrote in a French-language Facebook post.

As of Saturday, the Cayouettes were still hoping to betransferred to the other boat.

"People 70-and-over are the first designated people who can go in the other boat," Michel Cayouette said. "The transfer of people is still quite good. We transfer about 60 people an hour."

Councillor's brother trapped

Across the Atlantic, the brother of an Ottawa city councillor is currently stuckon the Costa Victoria cruise ship off the coast of Italy.

Bay ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh said her 70-year-old brother, Kevin, is one of approximately 200 people remaining on the cruise liner, confined to his cabin after a case of COVID-19 was confirmed on board.

"What they do is they take his temperature every day and he's been passing. So that's good," Kavanagh told CBC Ottawa Sunday.

"But he doesn't know if he is going to have to be quarantined in that area, in Rome, or if they are just going to ship him off to get back home."

Kavanagh said her brother doesn't have cellphone service in his cabin and couldn't be reached on the weekend.

She said he's one of only a handful of Canadians on board,and given that small number, her brother feels the federal government is unlikely to repatriate them.

Even once he's eventually allowed off the Costa Victoria, Kavanagh said his family worries the options to get home are shrinking.

"They told him to be ready to go, to like, have his bags packed," shesaid Sunday."And of course, he's quite anxious to. But he's still waiting."

She said her brother has registered with Global Affairs Canada as a Canadian travelling abroad.

"You don't know what to do," she said. "You're just playing a waiting game."