Cruise ship warning: How diseases can spread like wildfire amid coronavirus fears

 

A CRUISE ship with 6,000 passengers carrying two suspected coronavirus patients have banned guests from disembarking at an Italian port, as fears surrounding catching diseases while travelling are on the rise. What are the best ways travellers can protect themselves against outbreaks?

 This fear has further heightened after news broke that two suspected patients from Hong Kong are being held in isolation in the on-board hospital of the Costa Smeralda in Civitavecchia, Italy.

The ship, which contains around 6,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members have been told to stay on board amid concerns of the outbreak.

In a statement, Costa Cruises said: “Costa Cruises confirms the sanitary the protocol has been activated for a guest on-board of Costa Smeralda.

“The guest, a 54 years old lady of Chinese nationality, is currently put on isolation on the onboard hospital since last night together with her travel mate, in line with health protocols.

“As soon as the a suspected case was detected, the Medical Team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition.

 

“The Health Authority has been immediately notified and is now on board to conduct all the pertinent measures. It is our utmost priority to ensure the health and safety of passengers and crew.”

They added that the company is at “complete disposal” of the Health Authority and their indication will be strictly applied.

“Costa Cruises continue to apply the relevant national policies and epidemic developments, as per World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indications.”

Other major cruise lines cancelled cruises as the virus spreads, including Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises.