HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune staff
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville confirmed on Friday the cruise ship MSC Seashore was denied entry by the government to Ocean Cay because of a number of COVID-19 cases on board.
According to the website Cruise Hive, the ship was denied entry in the Bahamas for its call on December 29. The Office of the Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed the ship was denied on the date mentioned.
The article reported: “During her 5-night trip from Miami, several crew members and a handful of guests were identified as positive with COVID-19.
“In a letter from Captain Galano, guests were informed that the Bahamian government (had) forced the vessel to cancel its call to Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.”
Asked if the vessel was denied by the government to Ocean Cay—which is the cruise line’s private island—and was it because of the COVID cases on board the ship, Dr Darville answered “yes” by WhatsApp.
When asked how many cases were onboard, he said: “Not sure, but the numbers were high.”
This situation comes as the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level 4 warning, the highest COVID-19 Travel Health Notice level, for cruise ship travel.
The CDC has urged people to “avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status” and warned that “even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants”.
Asked if his ministry is concerned about this new CDC development and whether there would be new health guidelines and restrictions in place for cruise vessels, Dr Darville responded: “Will have to check.”
Earlier in December, the minister had said he was pleased with the COVID-19 protocols put in place by the cruise line industry, while confirming a ship that docked at Coco Cay in The Bahamas suffered a virus outbreak among passengers on board.
According to reports, at least 48 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas.
The itinerary was a seven-night trip that left from Miami on December 11 and visited St Maarten; St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands; and Coco Cay, the cruise line’s private island in The Bahamas.
Comments
TalRussell 2 years, 3 months ago
Spoken in such an extraordinary way, so as to further disconnect an PopoulacesOfCommeners' at-large (POCAL). from distinguishing. whom, what is exactly....De Colony'sCompetentAuthority and everything else like this and that ― Yes?
John 2 years, 3 months ago
ONE in every FIVE Covid tests in the US is POSITIVE! Obviously the results here are similar , if not even greater positivity. AS the Omicron strains sweep across the planet, being no respector of man, woman, child, vaccines or booster shot. And authorities rub their hands and scratch their heads in anxious anticipation as they try to figure out what to do next in defense of this strange but determined virus. Some say more, vaccines, more booster shots, wear masks, wear two masks, ok just the N95. Cancel your parties and New Year’s celebrations they say, the Omicron is a crowd pleaser. For rapid spread and transmission that is. Some call for lockdowns and curfews and others say stay off cruise ships at every cost. And ships return to port as many are infected. And some are even left to quarantine at sea. But wait check the stats. Hospitalizations are declining and deaths also even as Omicron sets new unbelievable daily records. This will all be over in a few weeks as cases peak and start to decline. Let’s listen to Fauci and hear what he has to say. Something strange, let’s bet, for the fiftieth time. ‘Well the virus could peak in a few days, or even a few weeks,’ he says, ‘Or maybe not, cases may continue to climb.’ ‘Wear your masks, no take them off’. He says’. ‘Let’s vaccinate the children, even under the age of five yes under five this time’. The New Year has cone, yes Happy New Year. Hopefully it will be fill with glad tidings and good cheer. And Fauci and Omicron will be gone and so will the Vaccines and the entire Covid affair.
ted4bz 2 years, 3 months ago
Yall just need to stop delaying y’all boosters. Go get it before y’all generate the next variant. Get y’all boosters on time please so we have some kind of peace around here before y’all generate the next variant. That is all we “vax-free-people” are asking.
tribanon 2 years, 3 months ago
The Global Vaccinated Society is causing the Wuhan virus to adapt to survive in ways that were never expected. There's now a real risk the vaccinated may trigger a serious mutation that will make Bill Gates, Dr. Fauci and their greedy big pharma friends most happy.
ohdrap4 2 years, 3 months ago
Mass hysteria. The medical nazis want to lockdiwn again and will not let go.
They feel so good distributing dry cereal with no milk to us dogs.
ted4bz 2 years, 3 months ago
More than two years later this game is working very well on the delusional, the stupor, the sleeping, the fickle, the deceiver, the traitor, the corrupt, those in denial, those who can be swing and those feeling good about themselves for doing a foolish thing. Look here, the variant is not spreading anywhere, the variant is generated by big pharma artificial immunity systematic covid-19 addicts. So, this and future variants are not spreading anywhere, it is already everywhere at the same time. Until the OWG/OWO/NWO surveillance software is completely installed within the covid-19 fear absorbing addicts expect more variants and more boosters, it’s inevitable. So, the vaccinated folk’s commitment to line-up to get the boosters on time should be equal to their fear of the variants.
Biminibrad 2 years, 3 months ago
You better prepare to cancel all ships, this common cold called omicron is infecting every one.
SgtVoight 2 years, 3 months ago
Good call for now!
concerned799 2 years, 3 months ago
The CDC says cruise ships are unsafe!
There are dozens of cases they are investigating of on board outbreaks.
Plus everything on the ships is basically behind closed doors and we have a horrible, horrible history of being able to regulate the cruise ship industry even at the best of times.
Cruise ships are the ideal vector space for such a virus, close quarters, common air system, its a total disaster.
The only proper course of action is for this industry to end, it needed to end even before covid.
The Bahamas needs to close its doors to these high vector covid spreading ships.
tribanon 2 years, 3 months ago
Fully agree.
rodentos 2 years, 3 months ago
the only response can be: nuke the ship! all viruses on board must be evaporated
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