The stories trickling out from the ship are horrifying.

Passengers who spoke with the Guardian describe being locked down in the cabins, with three daily meals left on the floor outside their doors. Meanwhile the number of people reporting influenza-like symptoms has almost tripled this week: 56 passengers and 89 crew members, passengers say the ship’s captain has told them. Four elderly passengers reportedly required oxygen.

As one might expect, the conditions necessary to enforce “isolation” on ships such as these are limited, confining, not particularly pleasant.

The wife of one of the 85 crew members in isolation with flu-like symptoms on the Zaandam expressed concerns about the conditions for staff. “Those who are confined were quarantined in a five square metre cabin, given only three small pieces of bread and a small amount of cereals,” she said, adding there is a lack of water, fresh air and two people are confined to each cabin room.

The Zaandam, which carries passengers from the U.S., Canada, Australia and England, is currently off the coast of Ecuador and seeking permission to dock in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Thus far permission has been refused, a refusal that has repeated itself over and over throughout the world as ships still at sea during the past month are now viewed with trepidation or outright xenophobia by seaports that formerly welcomed them with open arms.

Dramatic scenes of coronavirus-stricken cruises, such as the Grand Princess in California and the Diamond Princess in Japan, have become synonymous with the pandemic. The plight of those still adrift highlights how cruise ships have become a kind of pariah of the seas, with cities wary of becoming the next home for a potentially infected vessel.

The Zaandam was denied entry by the port commission in Fort Lauderdale, after a dispute developed between those who urged that the ship be turned away since it did not originate in Florida (The Zaandam departed from Punta Arenas in Chile on March 14), and those who believed the serious medical condition of many passengers onboard warranted a humanitarian response from the city. This denial came despite an online lobbying campaign by U.S. citizens aboard the ship itself, begging to be allowed to disembark. The problem, as explained by Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine, is that Broward County, where Fort Lauderdale is situated, is already a “hotspot,” with hospitals beginning to fill up with COVID-19 patients. The prospect of potentially 1500 additional sick people disembarking from one ship could easily overwhelm the city’s hospitals.

Regardless of whether the Zaandam is ultimately permitted to dock in Florida, it must first get through the Panama Canal. Current directives from the Panamanian Ministry of Health forbid transit through the canal if a vessel has anyone aboard who tests positive for COVID-19. After initially rejecting the Zaandam, which entered Panamanian waters Friday, authorities approved the passage Saturday night, citing “humanitarian reasons.” Final details of the transit are still being worked out, according to the cruise line. Traffic through the canal requires an onboard presence by canal staff, who will be clad in biosafety gear; Panama is battling its own pandemic right now, with 901 cases identified as of early Sunday morning.

Holland America dispatched another ship, the Rotterdam, with a relief crew and supplies, to meet up with the Zaandam and to allow the transfer of those still healthy onto the new ship, but many of the Zaandam’s passengers did not pass the screening process, having developed respiratory symptoms. Those people remain in isolation on the Zandaam. Compounding the problem psychologically, many of the passengers are unable to communicate with friends or family, or only able to communicate sporadically, due to poor internet availability.

Erin McCormick, writing for the Guardian, notes that many of these ships began their journeys in early March, prior to any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South America. Others, however, including Ross Klein, a professor at St. John’s college in Newfoundland, interviewed for the Guardian, believe that some of these cruise lines acted irresponsibly when they continued to transport passengers after the pandemic had prompted several ports in other parts of the world to turn away cruise ships. Ross, who has written several books about the cruise industry, says “There is a level of greed on the part of these companies. They want to make every penny—and they make money when people are on the ships.”

McCormick also cites an article appearing in the Miami New Times, in which e-mails from Norwegian Cruise Lines revealed “talking points” which NCL employees were supposed to employ if a customer asked about coronavirus concerns.

“The Coronavirus can only survive in cold temperatures, so the Caribbean is a fantastic choice for your next cruise," one talking point reads. "Scientists and medical professionals have confirmed that the warm weather of the spring will be the end of the Coronavirus," reads a second. Another line says coronavirus "cannot live in the amazingly warm and tropical temperatures that your cruise will be sailing to."

But whatever responsibility the cruise lines themselves bear for this situation, the fact remains that thousands are currently stranded on ships that are little more than floating Petri dishes for potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. Some ships, such as the Coral Princess, currently off the coast of Brazil, have no reports of illness or infection on board (thus far). Yet they are still being refused permission to dock. That ship is also now headed for Florida, but is not expected to arrive for two weeks. More than a thousand U.S., Canadian, and British citizens are aboard.

There is no way to predict what type of reception they will receive.