The Coral Princess, a cruise ship carrying at least a dozen people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, docked in Miami on Saturday after it was initially denied by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Two passengers died on the ship overnight, the cruise line reported.
“We had some people that were dying on that ship. We had to get them here as soon as possible,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said during an online press conference, according to the Miami Herald.
The ship has more than 1,000 passengers who have been isolated in their cabins. Of those, 65 passengers and crew members who are experiencing symptoms will remain on the ship under quarantine.
Passengers were given a health screening form that asked if they had a fever, cough or difficulty breathing as they left the ship Saturday around 1:30 p.m.
Gimenez said two people were taken from the ship to an area hospital, and three others are being sent for treatment in Tampa, according to Herald.
“We really do need to think of our American citizens who have been stuck in this cruise ship. We need to show compassion,” Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) said on NBC News, adding that we also must adhere “to the strictest of measures.”