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Over 2,000 individuals on a cruise ship in the Indian Ocean have been denied the ability to leave the vessel in Mauritius for multiple days due to concerns of a potential cholera outbreak among passengers.
The ship, Norwegian Dawn, was scheduled to reach the capital city of the island, Port Louis, at 7am on Sunday, February 25th. The journey from Cape Town to the island took 12 days.
The scheduled stop at Reunion Island was cancelled, resulting in the ship arriving in Mauritius one day ahead of schedule.
The ship is currently docked at the harbor. However, the 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members have been informed that they are not allowed to disembark until Tuesday, February 27th. This is necessary as health authorities investigate the source of an outbreak of stomach illness among those on board.
The authorities of the Mauritius Ports issued a statement reporting that officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellbeing collected samples from approximately 15 passengers on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship this morning due to concerns about their health.
These passengers were isolated on the cruise ship because of their health condition.
Authorities made the choice to deny the cruise ship access to the dock as a precautionary measure to prevent potential health hazards. The well-being of both passengers and the country as a whole is of utmost concern to the authorities.
The World Health Organization has stated that the ongoing cholera epidemic in southern Africa has reported over 300,000 incidents since the beginning of 2020, resulting in 5,811 fatalities.
A representative from Norwegian Cruise Line stated that on the 13th of February 2024, during the South Africa trip on the Norwegian Dawn, a few passengers reported experiencing minor symptoms related to stomach illness.
After the ship arrived back in Port Louis, Mauritius, the management team had a meeting with local authorities to ensure that necessary precautions and measures were in place to keep everyone on board safe.
The government of Mauritius has postponed the current cruise’s disembarkation and the next cruise’s embarkation by two days, until 27 February 2024, due to local authorities requiring additional testing before allowing entry.
The delayed arrival will play havoc with passengers’ homeward flight plans. One passenger, Rob Hopkins, told The Independent: “Stuck on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship due to a gastro bug. Ship not allowed to dock into Mauritius since Sunday – another 24 hours at least. Due to fly back to UK Wednesday.”
If the passengers are permitted to leave the ship, Mr. Hopkins will be able to catch his flight. However, numerous others have likely already missed their scheduled flights on Air Mauritius, British Airways, and other airlines to major cities such as London, Dubai, Frankfurt, and Paris.
The spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line stated that they are helping current guests on the ship with their altered travel plans.
On Sunday, 2,279 additional passengers were projected to embark on the ship for a 12-night trip from Reunion and Madagascar to South Africa. Currently, they are staying in hotels on the island.
The Mauritius Ports Authority stated that due to potential health risks, passengers scheduled to board the Norwegian Dawn and embark on their cruise from Mauritius today will not be able to do so. The results of the test will not be available for about 48 hours.
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A representative from Norwegian Cruise Line stated that extra staff members have been sent to assist guests who are planning to board the Norwegian Dawn’s voyage departing from Port Louis, Mauritius on February 25, 2024. They will also be provided with free hotel accommodations until they are able to board.
Ensuring the well-being of our guests, crew, and visited locations is our primary concern. Our operations maintain the most stringent health and sanitation measures and we urge our guests to practice proper hygiene and notify the onboard medical team promptly of any illness symptoms.
The sanitation protocols on the ship are considered to be of a high standard.
The source for this information is the independent.co.uk website.
