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Cordelia cruise: 139 more Covid positive
Another 139 passengers of the Cordelia cruise ship, currently docked in Mumbai, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported
Another 139 passengers of the Cordelia cruise ship, currently docked in Mumbai, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported.
This is in addition to the 66, including crew members, who tested positive on MV Empress on January 1, forcing it to return to Mumbai. A total of 205 persons on the ship have now tested positive.
The BMC collected 1,827 samples on Tuesday after the ship docked at Green Gate port in South Mumbai’s Ballard Pier. The luxury cruise ship had reached Goa’s Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) on New Year’s eve. On January 1, a crew member developed flu-like symptoms and tested positive on a rapid antigen test, following which 66 members on-board also tested positive for the virus. Of them, six crew members were allowed to disembark in Goa and were admitted to a local hospital in Vasco Da Gama for treatment.
Earlier on Wednesday, BMC shifted 41 passengers out of the ship and admitted them to various civic-run isolation centres and hospitals in the city. While most of them had mild symptoms, one passenger was transferred to St. George’s Hospital for treatment.
“The patients have been shifted to facilities like the Richardson and Crudas in Byculla, Suncity residency, Pacific residency and other private hotels at their own expenses,” said an official.
The remaining 19 were allowed to stay back on the ship as they were largely asymptomatic and were with families. They were isolated inside the ship itself, another senior official confirmed.
Shivadas Gurav, assistant municipal commissioner from A-ward (where the ship is anchored) confirmed the development.
“Most of the patients that have tested positive are asymptomatic. We have passed the reports to the operator of the cruise which will carry out further health test to check if they have other co-morbidities or not. If a patient is fully asymptomatic and doesn’t have any co-morbidities then he/she will be allowed to go home with a stamp on his hand so that they follow isolation norms and protocols. If anyone is co-morbid and has serious symptoms, then he/she will be transferred for treatment,” said Gurav.
All the passengers who tested negative are being allowed to disembark the ship, Gurav said.
“The BMC officials present at the port has put a stamp on the hands of the passengers who have tested negative so that they compulsorily follow home quarantine for seven days and the local ward office will track their health status,” he said.
The cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers left from Mumbai on December 31 and was meant to stop at Goa, Kochi and Lakshadweep islands before sailing back to Mumbai.
