Cruise ship turned away from Asia ports amid coronavirus fears is no longer headed to Alaska

Holland America Line said Tuesday it will bring the Westerdam cruise ship to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, instead of Juneau after it had been turned away from several Asian ports over the coronavirus.

The company, in a statement, said the decision on where to dock the Westerdam was reassessed after it announced plans to halt operation of its ships for 30 days amid port closures and travel restrictions surrounding COVID-19.

Holland America planned to dock the ship in Juneau for a few weeks starting around the end of March.

The ship left the Philippines this month with no passengers and has about 700 crew or contract staff on board who tested negative for the coronavirus in mid-February, the company said.

One passenger from the Westerdam tested positive for the virus but has since been cleared after the result was determined to be false.