St. Lucia Denies Cruise Ship Entry Due to Passenger Health Concerns
Amid the global scare relating to the coronavirus, many cruise companies have postponed and canceled cruises while the Cruise Line Industry Association has publicly backed the companies’ decisions not to call on mainland China. As the health scare spreads some countries are even beginning to deny cruise ships entry.
CruiseIndustryNews.com reports that the island nation St. Lucia has denied entry to the AIDA Perla cruise ship, apparently due to concerns about sick passengers on the ship. Though there was no confirmed case of coronavirus aboard the ship, St. Lucia’s Heath Minister Senator Mary Isaac reportedly told a local media outlet that “some people suffering from upper respiratory tract infections.” This was enough to cause the government to prevent the Perla from docking.
The coronavirus scare has disrupted many cruise sailings, including a recent sailing of the Costa Venezia. The ship, and it 6,000 passengers and 1,000 crew, was detained last week when Italian authorities suspected that some aboard the ship may have been infected with coronavirus.
Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.