Thousands of people are stuck on a cruise ship at the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome, because of a suspected coronavirus patient on board.
The cruise ship is the Costa Smeralda, run by Costa Crociere.
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According to the Italian news agency ANSA, there are around 7,000 people on board, including crew and passengers.
“There is one suspect case, a woman from Macau.
“Public health authorities are verifying the situation,’’ a spokesman from Costa Crociere told dpa.
“We arrived in Civitavecchia with the Costa Smeralda cruise ship and they are not letting us off the boat.
“They say it’s due to a health inspection,’’ a passenger named Gaby tweeted.
She added that the cruise ship was “full of Asians” with face masks.
The Costa Smeralda departed from Savona in northern Italy and stopped in Marseille, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca before reaching Civitavecchia.
According to ANSA, test results for the suspected patient should be ready in the afternoon.
The woman, 54, has been put in isolation with her husband, who does not appear to have any symptoms.
“We did all that we needed to do.
“The situation is under control and at the moment, it does not seem like there are any reasons for concern on board,’’ coast guard commander, Vincenzo Leone, was quoted as saying by ANSA.
In a statement, Costa Crociere said its priority is “to guarantee the health and safety of guests and crew’’ and that it would “strictly comply” with regulations from health authorities,
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