Disinfectant sprayed in cruise terminals at Port Canaveral to stop spread of coronavirus

Major cruise lines cancel voyages

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers at Port Canaveral are spraying and wiping an antimicrobial disinfectant at cruise terminals and public places that will kill coronavirus for 30 days, the port’s CEO said.

"It bonds to all surfaces and it's like a bed of nails to a virus," Captain John Murray said.

The port said it's going above and beyond to keep the virus at bay.

Murray said workers are using the same disinfectant that would be used to attack norovirus.

Sanitizing efforts follow a decline in cruise passengers “across the board,” Murray said.

[SCHOOL IMPACTS: Central Florida students, school employees told to self-isolate after cruises, foreign travel | All Florida schools to take additional week off after spring break amid coronavirus concerns]

Thursday night, Disney announced it would suspend all cruises until further notice. Friday, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean followed with similar announcements. President Donald Trump said later that day that MSC Cruises and Carnival would also stop operating as well.

The final passengers on Disney's Dream departed the port Friday.

The Tomás family from Washington, D.C. said they were very excited for their first Disney cruise.

Family members cheered as they told News 6 their tripped was planned several months in advance.

Other families who also booked before the coronavirus outbreak said they were not worried.

"I think that everybody needs to calm down and relax," John Ross from Baltimore said.

Wilma Rosenberger from Indiana called being the last cruisers their "claim to fame."

"Pretty excited about it, we're going to have a great time," she said.

[RELATED: Events canceled, postponed across Central Florida | Florida orders thousands of coronavirus testing kits, more than any other state, governor says]

The Dream departed at 4:30 p.m. as the port shared its new video of workers using the disinfecting spray.

“Keep your sanitizing wipes handy and your hand cleaner and we can all get through this,” Murray said.

To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter or go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.


About the Author:

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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