Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Patrick Lane,

in Fajason, Poland this week. Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events

shaping your world. Sweden's response to the coronavirus has so far

been unusually relaxed. Life is going on pretty much as normal. Swedes aren't confined

to their homes, bars, cafes and schools remain open. Have the authorities got it right

or horribly wrong? What expletives are most defensive to your ears? Do they involve sexual

acts, religion, bodily functions? If you'll Dutch the chances are they'll involve disease.

We report on the Dutch way with words. First up though. When the cruise ship Zandam

left Buenos Aires in early March, its passengers were promised 31 nights of elegant and comfortable

luxury. Since then, a holiday has been anything but elegant, comfortable or luxurious. After

several passengers developed coronavirus symptoms, the boat was turned away from docking

in Chile. Four passengers have since died and hundreds have developed flu-like symptoms,

prompting desperate pleas from those on board. The boat operated by Holland America, which

is now expected off the coast of Florida today, after being rejected by several other potential

ports of coal. Whether passengers will finally be allowed to disembark remains unclear.

We do now want to see people dumped in southern Florida right now. Once sold as an easy and

safe way to see the world, cruise ships have instead become one of the most enduring images

of the pandemic. It's unclear if the industry will ever recover. While there are definitely

rough seas ahead, this is one of the industries which has had it roughest due to the spread

of COVID-19 round the world.

Charles Reed writes about travel for the economist.

The world's three largest cruise firms, that is Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian

...