An Oregon comedian who was working on the coronavirus-stricken MS Westerdam cruise — which docked in Cambodia after being turned away from five countries — says he’s been fired from future gigs after fleeing quarantine.
Frank King said he escaped the hotel lockdown implemented after one of the Holland America liner passengers who disembarked tested positive for the coronavirus, news station WGXA reported.
“We were stuck in the hotel from which I self-deported,” King told the outlet.
The comedian had been hired as entertainment on the vessel that was stranded at sea for two weeks amid fears of the infectious disease.
“I had four shows on the ship, some of my best shows ever, you know, because we’re all in it together,” King said. “I made a few jokes about, it’s not the Love Boat, it’s the Glove Boat, thank you.”
The cruise ship carrying 1,554 passengers and 802 crew members finally got the go-ahead to dock in Cambodia Friday, where those aboard were screened and several hundred were cleared to go home.
But then an 83-year-old American woman who was on the ship tested positive for the virus the following day, prompting officials to halt any further movement of passengers and crew members.
“So that stopped everybody from moving, nobody else left the ship,” King told the news station.
Passengers who had already disembarked and were staying at a hotel in Phnom Penh awaiting travel home were also told to halt further movement in order to be tested.
But King said at that point, he decided to leave and fly home to Oregon through Seattle before getting his swab test results back.
He has since learned that he’s been fired from the cruise line for disobeying the quarantine instructions.
“You know, it’s not my fault, I was cleared by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] twice, it’s not like I committed some horrible turpitude, I just dodged a bullet,” King told WGXA.



