MEXICO CITY, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A cruise ship from the Miami-based cruise line MSC Cruises has docked at Cozumel, Mexico after being denied entry to Cayman Islands and Jamaica amid fears of COVID-19.
MSC Cruises said in a statement that MSC Meraviglia is “currently waiting for local health officials to board the ship to conduct customary checks provided for by maritime protocols.”
The ship is allowed to dock and passengers will be allowed to disembark, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday. “We cannot act with discrimination,” López Obrador said.
“Imagine if a ship arrived and it wasn’t even allowed to dock, and they were told, ‘Keep going on your way, see where you can dock.’ That is inhuman.”
MSC Cruises said in a previous statement that the Meraviglia had received “formal and final authorization” from local health authorities to dock in Cozumel, and that its arrival was anticipated later in the evening.
No coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Mexico.
The MSC Meraviglia was earlier this week blocked from entering the port in Ochos Rios, Jamaica on Tuesday, health officials said. The ship, carrying more than 4,500 passengers and over 1,600 crew members on a 14-day cruise of the Caribbean, was denied entry after health officials found that one crew member, reporting flu-like symptoms, had been placed in isolation.
“The crew member had a cough, fever and associated muscle pains with a travel history to a country of interest relating to the COVID-19,” read a statement from Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness.
After being blocked from docking in Jamaica, the ship was also denied a scheduled entry on Wednesday in Grand Cayman out of “an abundance of caution,” from the Cayman Islands’ health officials.
“In order to provide protection to the health and safety of the residents of the Cayman Islands, the Government denied permission for the cruise ship to call on Grand Cayman as previously scheduled,” health minister Dwayne Seymour said in a statement.
MSC Cruises criticized the decisions by both countries, saying authorities in Jamaica and Grand Cayman did not properly review medical records provided by the cruise line. “In both instances, the ship was effectively turned away simply based on fears,” the statement read.
According to MSC Cruises, the ship’s medical records showed one case of influenza, which affected a crew member who had traveled to Miami from Manila, Philippines via Istanbul. The crew member tested positive for Type A influenza after visiting the ship’s medical center while already aboard.
MSC Cruises said it is standard practice to report any illnesses on board to relevant local health authorities. According to the cruise line, the crew member embarked on the cruise after passing a mandatory health screening given to all passengers on the ship.
“He has no other symptoms,” MSC Cruises said.
“In both instances, the ship was effectively turned away simply based on fears,” MSC said.
“No other cases of type A influenza have been reported on board MSC Meraviglia. Moreover, no cases of COVID-19 virus have been reported on board MSC Meraviglia or any other ship in MSC Cruises’ fleet.”
The situation recalled the US cruise ship Westerdam, which was at sea for two weeks after it was rejected by five countries over fears its passengers could be carrying the new coronavirus.
It was finally allowed to dock in Cambodia. — NNN-AGENCIES
