Thursday, 6 January 2022

Cruises around the globe plagued by Covid issues



From the Mediterranean to Tasmania and Hong Kong, cruise ships are back in operation and having Covid issues straight away.

It was reported yesterday that the final guests have disembarked from the Cordelia cruise ship after returning to Mumbai from Goa in India.

Local media reported a total of 209 people on board were infected, including at least 66 crew.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said it completed PCR testing on 1,827 people on board the cruise by Tuesday night.

The BMC did not allow any guests testing negative off the ship until all positive cases were taken to quarantine facilities.

A seven-day home quarantine is mandatory for all guests who tested negative, a BMC official said.

This followed dozens of passengers taken off a cruise ship in Genoa, Italy, after testing positive for Covid-19.

Forty-five passengers left the MSC Grandiosa (above) in Genoa "to be taken home safely", Travel Mole reported.

Dozens more passengers who tested positive were to be offloaded in Civitavecchia, outside Rime, or in Palermo, Sicily.

RaiNews24 reported more than 100 guests were infected. The ship was carrying over 4,000 guests.

Positive guests and close contacts were "immediately isolated in cabins with balconies" MSC Cruises said.

MSC requires all crew members and guests over 12 to be fully vaccinated.

In Tasmania, where large cruise ships are still banned, around 90 passengers and crew members are undergoing at least seven days quarantine after two positive cases were found onboard the Coral Discoverer.

State director of public health Dr Mark Veitch said the Coral Discoverer posed "no risk" to the Tasmanian public.

The ship - which is currently berthed in Hobart - had a Covid safety plan and measures in place but health authorities have deemed there was “significant exposure”.

“The nature of its operation and proximity of passengers and crew meant there was significant exposure of passengers and crew to the cases in an environment where there was a high risk of transmission,” a statement from Dr Veitch said.

Meanwhile, a cruise ship carrying about 2,500 passengers was ordered back to port in Hong Kong over a single positive Covid case.

Nine people on board Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas deemed as close contacts were disembarked and taken to a quarantine centre.

All reportedly tested negative.

Spectrum of the Seas has been sailing cruises to nowhere - short domestic sailings.

Hong Kong authorities have now banned all cruises.

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