(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he may yet take Carnival Corp. up on its offer to use its cruise ships as hospitals to relieve coronavirus-related strain on the health-care system. But he said they weren't needed now.
“If we need it, we'll let you know,” Trump said at a Friday media briefing, recounting a conversation with Carnival Chairman Micky Arison. “Right now, we don't need it.”
On Thursday, Carnival announced its offer to turn its vessels into floating hospitals with as many as 1,000 rooms, capable of treating non-Covid-19 illnesses. The company said it would charge only enough to cover its “essential costs” for providing the ships.
Read more: Carnival Offers Ships to Relieve Strain on Hospitals
Carnival ships from the company's Princess and Costa divisions were among those hit by outbreaks. In the most dramatic case globally, more than 700 people came down the virus while sailing on a Princess ship off Japan and were quarantined.
It wasn't clear how safe the ships on offer would be, given the ease with which previous outbreaks spread. Even if the vessels were to turn away known coronavirus cases, many with the virus show few or no symptoms.
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