MIAMI _ The Cuban government has authorized a British cruise ship carrying five people with confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, to dock at a port on the island.
The MS Braemar, which has been sailing in the Caribbean since the end of February, has 22 guests and 21 crew members who are in isolation after displaying influenza-like symptoms, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, the owner of the ship, said in a statement.
"This includes five people who tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus at our last port of call, Willemstad, Curacao, on Tuesday," the company said.
Cuba's foreign minister said his country would allow the ship to dock, and arrangements were made to fly the passengers back to the United Kingdom.
"Following (a) request from (the) UK government, Cuba has authorized docking of cruise ship MS Braemar with (a) small number of passengers testing positive for #Covid-19," Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Monday.
Rodriguez said the decision was taken in response to a "health emergency that might put the life of sick persons at risk." He said World Health Organization protocols would be followed to receive passengers and crew.
A British Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson confirmed it was coordinating the evacuation of passengers with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.
"We are working around the clock to arrange evacuation flights from Cuba to the UK as soon as possible for passengers on the Braemar cruise ship," the UK official said in a statement.
After the news on March 11 of positive cases on the ship, several Caribbean nations, including the Bahamas, Barbados and the Dominican Republic, turned it away.
After being refused to dock in Barbados, the ship headed to the Bahamas, which provided food and supplies but did not allow the guests to disembark.
"No other Caribbean ports were willing to accept the ship because of local sensitivities towards COVID-19 Coronavirus," the company said.
The ship, carrying 682 passengers and 381 crew members, is currently stranded off the Bahamas. Among the passengers are citizens of Canada, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden.
So far, Cuban officials have reported four confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the island and more than 250 patients under observation, but the country remains open for tourists. Unlike other Caribbean and Latin American nations, no travel restrictions have been announced.
