Published 13:30 IST, January 31st 2020
Passengers quarantined on Italian cruise ship amid coronavirus dread released
Passengers and at least 1000 crew members were reportedly stranded for several hours on Costa Smeralda cruise ship as the health officials investigated them.
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Approximately 7,000 people quarantined on an Italian cruise ship at the port in the city of Civitavecchia have been allowed to disembark after the coronavirus tests came out negative, suggest reports. The liner was on lockdown over fears of contagion, as preliminary tests were carried out amid suspicion of infected Chinese nationals that boarded the ship on January 25 in Savona, Italy. 6000 passengers and at least 1000 crew members were reportedly stranded for several hours on Costa Smeralda cruise ship as the health officials investigated every single of them aboard the vessel.
The restraint orders were precisely issued when the harbourmaster and the coast guard chiefs were also alerted about a couple from Hong Kong held in isolation due to flu-like symptoms, soaring temperature and respiratory complications in the Onboard-Cruise-Hospital.
A passenger from Macau was reported with coronavirus-like symptoms, as well, that led the authorities to suspect that the disease perhaps flourished amongst the passengers in close proximity to each other, the entire cruise was quarantined with immediate effect. The passengers were released and the vessel was docked 50 miles northwest of Rome only after the health commission officers confirmed the tests on sickened passengers negative, reports suggest.
Maritime health protocol envisaged in such cases was activated
Vincenzo Leone, Lazio Coast Guard's maritime director, told the media that the people were allowed to deboard only when everything needed to be done had been done and the outcomes of the check were made certain, the situation was under control and there was no reason for concerns on board. She added that the maritime health protocol envisaged in such cases was activated.
The towering cruise liner reportedly voyaged a night docked in Palma, Majorca and had sailed towards Marseille and Barcelona around the western Mediterannean eventually entering Rome. Police, port authorities and public health officials were all at the dockside while the cruise was being monitored. Ernesto Tedesco, the mayor of Civitavecchia has asked the passengers on the Costa Smeralda to co-operate until the results were definitive, according to reports.
13:30 IST, January 31st 2020