Second Filipino Oasis of the Seas crewman succumbs to virus

Carlos Baluran, longtime crew member with the Royal Caribbean cruise line, died in a Florida hospital. FACEBOOK

Another Filipino crew member of the Oasis of the Seas died May 3 in a Florida hospital due to COVID-19, the captain of the Royal Caribbean  cruise ship announced over the ship’s intercom.

The captain stated that Carlos Baluran “passed away this morning.”  Mr. Baluran had been “well taken care in the hospital and by the company’s medical team,” said the captain, who led a moment of silence for him.

The  company reportedly contacted his family and offered support from the company’s care team, and also offered support for the crew through the company’s 24/7 “Employee Assistance Program” on a confidential basis.

Baluran, an employee for the company for ten years, worked the night shift in the incinerator room on the Oasis. He is the fourth Royal Caribbean crew member, and the second Filipino, to die from Covid-19 in a hospital in the last three weeks. On April 18, long-term Royal Caribbean waiter Dexter Joyosa was the first Filipino crew member to die from the virus.