NCL Passenger Says Company Has Not Informed Passengers of Her Sister’s Coronavirus Diagnosis
One of the most important tactics experts are employing to combat the spread of coronavirus is to keep those who have not contracted the virus away from those who have. Experts say that those who have been in close contact with people have tested positive for coronavirus must be immediately informed of the risk so that they can self-quarantine for up to 14 days. This is why a Florida woman is coming forward to warn the public that Norwegian Cruise Line has failed to inform its passengers that they were sailing with a woman who was sick with the virus.
65-year-old Cheryl Kennedy-Byrd of Kissimmee, Florida was recently sailing aboard an NCL cruise ship with her twin sister and their husbands. Days into the cruise Kennedy-Byrd’s sister fell ill and sought help from the ship’s infirmary. With her condition worsening, the ship’s doctor ordered her to seek treatment at Baywest Wellness Hospital in Jamaica.
Kennedy-Byrd’s family knew that they needed to get her sister back to the U.S. and made calls to the consulate until they were able to fly her back. After being examined at a hospital in South Florida, she was diagnosed with COVID-19. “And the doctors are telling my niece that she’s the sickest patient that he’s ever taken care of,” Kennedy-Byrd told WESH.com.
Kennedy-Byrd’s sister is now on life support and in isolation. Kennedy-Byrd says that the cruise company should have acted more quickly and decisively, and perhaps if they had her sister would not be in such a difficult health situation.
Kennedy-Byrd also says that she notified the cruise line of her sister’s illness “And these people never even return my call,” she said. “I called them, I begged them to notify everyone on that ship,” she told WESH.com.
Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.