Covid cruise? Mumbai-Goa ship back with 66 Covid positive passengers, BMC tests all aboard

More than 2, 000 passengers who were aboard Cordelia Empress will be screened by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The development comes a day after 66 abroad the case tested positive for Covid-19.

BMC additional municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani told the Indian Express that a team has already reached the docks of the ship and everyone will be tested by Tuesday night. The passengers who test positive will be taken to Richardson & Cruddas treatment and isolation center.

Moreover, Cordelia cruises were asked to stop operations as investigation is underway. Operations were halted immediately. Cordelia Empress carrying 2017 passengers left Mumbai dock on January 1 and reached Goa the day after and anchored at Mormugao Port cruise terminal. About 66 passengers on board tested positive. The ship then set sail for Mumbai at 11 pm without letting the positive passengers disembark. Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd, called the action ‘lack of empathy’ of Goa administration to not let passenger disembark and that the cruise was receiving ‘haphazard instructions’

South Goa Collector Ruchika Katyal, however, said that 13 passengers who tested negative were allowed to get off the ship and that there was no disembarkation restriction on such passengers. Moreover six who tested positive were admitted at hospital she said. The chaos occurred when the families of the positive passengers wanted to go back . The positive passengers were brought back from hospital and let go on its return journey to Mumbai.

The cruise liner reached Goa with 2017 passengers at around 11 am on January 2 but turned at the port only at 8 pm Crew members and passengers who tested positive were taken to a medical facility and then rest of the passengers were tested, MPT Deputy Chairman G P Rai said.

Most passengers onboard belonged to neighboring Mumbai, Gujarat and Delhi.