A crew member from the Costa Favolosa died of coronavirus on Saturday after disembarking from the ship. The crew member had been transferred from the ship to a Miami hospital on March 29 after testing positive for COVID-19
"Costa would like to express its deepest grief and condolences to the family of the beloved colleague. Sincere thanks go to the doctors and nurses of the Larkin Community Palm Spring Hospital for doing everything possible to save our colleague's life," said Costa spokesperson David Barbano. "This is a challenging time for everyone in the world, and we are close to all those impacted and confident that with the measures adopted globally, we will be all able to overcome this soon."
According to the Miami Herald, the deceased crew member has been identified as 48-year-old Indian citizen Andrew Fernandes. Fernandes had worked for Costa Cruises for 17 years.
Costa Favolosa was one of Costa Cruises' two ships still stranded at sea after the industry's widespread suspension on March 13. The ship, along with Costa Magica, had been anchored near Miami waiting for final medical evacuation plans after several crew members tested positive for the virus.
Six crew members from Costa Magica and seven from Costa Favolosa have been hospitalized after experiencing flu-like symptoms.
In a statement with USA Today last month, Carnival spokesperson Roger Frizzell said that "Both vessels received permission from port and health officials to anchor and send boats to shore."
According to the cruise line, Costa Favolosa is now anchored in Freeport, Bahamas "for bunkering and provisions." Costa Magica is also near the Bahamas.
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