More than 6,000 people were still on board a cruise ship in the Italian port city of Civitavecchia late on Thursday after the liner was placed on lockdown over fears two Chinese passengers could be carrying the coronavirus.
Preliminary tests on the pair suggested they were not carrying the virus, the ministry of health said, although definitive results could take up to 48 hours.
In the meantime, Ernesto Tedesco, the mayor of Civitavecchia, a city north of Rome, has asked that passengers on the Costa Smeralda, among them 66 Britons, be disembarked only when the results are definitive.
Earlier in the day there were chaotic scenes as Tedesco confronted the harbour master, Vincenzo Leone, after Leone told journalists he had been given the go-ahead to disembark 1,140 passengers who were at the end of their trip.
The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.
The UN agency advises people to:
- Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap
- Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing
- Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough
- Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers
- Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas
- Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or animal organs to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods.
Despite a surge in sales of face masks in the aftermath of the outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak, experts are divided over whether they can prevent transmission and infection. There is some evidence to suggest that masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions, given the large number of times people touch their faces. The consensus appears to be that wearing a mask can limit – but not eliminate – the risks, provided they are used correctly.
Tedesco pulled up in a Fiat 500, driven by his spokesperson, and yelled out of the window: “Are you mad? Who gave you the order to disembark? I’ll take you all to court. If you let just one person off, you do so at your own risk.”
Tedesco’s spokesperson said on Thursday night: “We don’t have the authority to stop the disembarkation but we ask that they wait for the response from the hospital. It’s a matter of precaution for everyone.”
The cruise ship passengers were reportedly given back their room keys, so it is unlikely they will disembark overnight.
Doctors at Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani national institute for infectious diseases were examining samples taken from a woman from Macau who fell ill with a fever as well as her husband. Samples were sent for testing after three doctors and a nurse boarded the Costa Smeralda to tend the woman.
The 54-year-old woman was put into isolation overnight in a hospital ward on the ship. Her husband, who did not have any symptoms, was also quarantined.
“As soon as the suspected case emerged, medical staff onboard immediately activated the necessary health procedures for cases of this kind,” Costa Crociere, the Italian company that operates the ship, said in a statement. “Our priority is to guarantee the health and safety of our guests and team.”
The couple flew into Milan from Hong Kong on Saturday before getting on the cruise, according to Italian media reports.
The vessel had come from Palma, Mallorca, and stopped at Civitavecchia, a city close to Rome, as part of a week-long cruise of the Mediterranean.
An unnamed passenger was quoted as telling the Ansa news agency: “The couple’s cabin has been isolated and they are in with the doctors. We’re a bit worried of course. No one is getting on or off the ship apart from the doctors. This holiday risks ending in a nightmare.”
A Chinese man was also taken to the Spallanzani on Wednesday night after coming down with a fever in a hotel in central Rome.
The Italian government is preparing to fly around 60 Italians home from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus broke out. The group will then be quarantined in a military facility for two weeks.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
