Cruise Ship Docks in Mexico, Passengers Allowed to Disembark After Being Denied Entry in Jamaica, Cayman Islands Amid Coronavirus Fears

A cruise ship from the Miami-based cruise line MSC Cruises has docked at Cozumel, Mexico after being denied entry to Cayman Islands and Jamaica amid fears of COVID-19. MSC Cruises said in a statement emailed to TIME Thursday morning that MSC Meraviglia is “currently waiting for local health officials to board the ship to conduct customary checks provided for by maritime protocols.” A passenger on board the ship, who asked not to be identified, confirmed to TIME that the vessel had docked in Cozumel and that those onboard are “waiting for authorities to clear the ship.” The ship is allowed to dock and passengers will be allowed to disembark, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday, the Associated Press reported. “We cannot act with discrimination,” López Obrador said. “Imagine if a ship arrived and it wasn’t even allowed to dock, and they were told, ‘Keep going on your way, see where you can dock.’ That is inhuman.” MSC Cruises said in a previous statement on Wednesday afternoon that the Meraviglia had received “formal and final authorization” from local health authorities to dock in Cozumel, and that its arrival was anticipated later in the evening. The cruise line later said the ship had arrived off the West Coast of the island around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday night but ,“due to unfavorable weather” including “stormy conditions,” the ve...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 health onetime UnitedWeRise20Disaster Source Type: news