19 Feb
2020

News

Sailors' Society supports quarantined seafarers

19 Feb, 2020


Seafarers quarantined due to Coronavirus have been receiving support from a special Sailors’ Society helpline.

The charity is offering telephone or social media support to seafarers on quarantined ships, who have been refused off-signing or are stranded in closed ports.

Sandra said they’ve received calls and texts from seafarers worried about their health and concerned for their families at home.

“They’re scared they’re going to die,” she said.

“Others are worried about the impact on the industry and their financial situation.

“They are able to talk to us about anything – family problems, problems about relationships on board; if they tell us they’ve got an issue at home and we operate in that region, we can send a chaplain to help.”

Sailors’ Society chaplains are taking additional precautions when they visit ships to protect their own health and avoid spreading infection. They’re taking public health posters on board, giving seafarers vital advice about how to protect themselves and others.

Chaplains have seen a variety of reactions to the crisis on board. Some crews have had little or no knowledge about the virus and have been grateful for the information, while one of our Brazilian chaplains spoke to an upset Chinese crew. “One of them said that people are afraid of them because they could spread the virus,” he reported.

“Some people have even been aggressive in telling them that they are guilty of all of this.”

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