As Cordelia cruise returns to Mumbai, BMC sets these rules for patients and others

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will conduct screening of passengers on arrival and put the 66 patients under isolation at designated facilities.

The city civic body of Mumbai on Tuesday set new guidelines for the 2,000-odd passengers onboard the Cordelia luxury ship that was returning from Goa with 66 Covid-19 patients and others.

Cordelia, the cruise company, has suspended its operations for now. (HT/File)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will conduct screening of passengers on arrival and put the 66 patients under isolation at designated facilities.

All other passengers will undergo RT-PCR test and will be allowed to disembark from the ship only after receiving a negative test report, the BMC said.

The decision to send the luxury cruise liner back to Mumbai was taken after some of the infected passengers refused to get admitted to a medical facility in Goa.

The first case of the viral disease was detected in a crew member, following which samples of all the passengers were tested. Thereafter, as many as 66 passengers on board tested positive for Covid-19.

Govind Pernulkar, manager of operations at JM Baxi and Co, a local ship agent, said as many as 27 of the passengers who tested positive refused to get admitted to a Covid-19 facility in Goa.

The cruise company has suspended its operations for now. “Due to change in safety protocols with prevailing Covid-19 restrictions and in compliance with government authorities, we will be suspending our sailing for January 3, 2022 and January 5, 20’22. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused,” the company said in a statement.

(With agency inputs)