Several cruise ships have been denied entry to Mexican ports due to covid infected passengers and crew

The arrival of tourist cruise ship to Topolobampo Sinaloa was canceled; 19 of its crew carry COVID-19

Los Mochis, Sinaloa.- The municipal president of Ahome, Gerardo Vargas Landeros, reported that because the cruise ship MS Zuiderda, from San Diego, brings 19 crew members infected with COVID-19, so it will not be allowed to board in the port of Topolobampo.

The tourist cruise was scheduled to arrive at the port of Topolobampo this December 29 and for this reason, its arrival is canceled.

The municipality explained that the Harbor Master and the captain of the vessel alerted the state and municipal authorities, so there was no choice but to make this decision.

“Our director of Tourism, the lawyer Verónica Medel, informed me this morning that she had received documentation from the Harbor Master’s Office and the captain of the cruise ship that is about to arrive, where we are informed that she has 19 crew members infected with COVID , everything indicates that we are not going to allow them to disembark here in the port of Topolobampo , the number of passengers is approximately 1400 passengers; 800 crew members, of which 19 are those who are already positive with COVID ”.

It is still being analyzed that it could dock near the port so that the International Health and Sanitation Sector can board and review the health of the 1,400 passengers, and of the 800 crew members, in addition to the 19 that have already been confirmed, tested positive for COVID-19, so it is not convenient for them to disembark, said the mayor of AhomeGerardo Vargas Landeros.

“It is indefinite if it docks at the dock or remains anchored in the buoy to call for International Health to go and check and give them the necessary supplies, they replenish food, water, etc., because it is a shame because they already had time that they did not They came to our municipality, to our port, we had already contemplated some celebrations for them, to the “Chepe”, here to the beaches, to the municipality of El Fuerte , but we need to cover and take care of our society, I had planned to visit Topolobampo and from here they went to Mazatlán , we consider that at least our coast should not be disembarked ”.

Vargas Landeros said that it is still being analyzed whether or not the Holland America cruise ship is allowed to stay on the coast, but without actually docking, it is ruled out to perform the show that was prepared for them.

Puerto Vallarta denies Carnival Panorama Cruise passengers to disembark

Dr. Jaime Álvarez Zayas, director of the Eighth Health Region, reported that the disembarkation of passengers or crew members of the Carnival Panorama cruise ship was not authorized this Monday, because 74 active cases of COVID-19 were registered, so it would be the second ship denied descent into port. 

In this sense, the doctor explained that since this Sunday, it was reported to the Puerto Vallarta International Health authority that the Carnival Panorama cruise ship had 30 positive cases of COVID-19 in the crew.

So isolation of 100 more crew members was made to test them and thus see the evolution that would occur. However, during the morning of this Monday, it was reported that the cases increased to 69 those infected and five passengers.

That is why, given this outbreak of active cases, the decision was made together with the shipping company not to allow the disembarkation of the crew. As for the passengers, they were given the option that those who wanted to get off the cruise, would have to prove that they were not infected, so they would be applying an antigen test and if it was negative they could get off, but if it was positive they could not. do.

However, the shipping company decided that neither passengers nor the crew will get off, so they continue to monitor the cruise ship and thus prevent infected people from entering the port. 

He indicated that with this ship, there would already be two that have been denied the disembarkation of passengers and crew, last week it was the Koningsdam. He commented that epidemiological surveillance continues to be reinforced and more so due to the presence of the Omicron variant, which is very strong in the United States and these cruises come from there.

Given this, the doctor was asked if the cases detected in the cruise ships have this new variant to which he replied that there is no technology to typify the cases, however, the behavior of the cases is to be rapid outbreaks within the ships.

“If we remember with the Koningsdam it started with a case and in two or three days they increased despite the measures it brought and being vaccinated, this is also important the infected people are already vaccinated. With the Carnival it went from 30 to 69 so that speed would make us think, although we are not confirming that it was the Omicron variant ”

The Jalisco Health Secretariat did not grant authorization for the disembarkation of passengers from a cruise ship that arrived in Puerto Vallarta with a record of active cases of Covid-19. 

In a statement, the state health authorities reported that they requested negative antigen tests from people who wanted to disembark at the tourist destination; however, the cruise company chose to continue its journey. 

“Once the positive cases were detected, the alternative was analyzed that any passenger who wanted to disembark at the tourist destination could do so under restrictions and presenting a negative antigen test,” they indicated. 

However, the option was discarded because health protocols indicate that no one could disembark when positive cases of Covid-19 were registered on the boat, so the decision was finally made not to disembark.

Dependence of Health of Jalisco explained that before starting the journey, on December 18, were conducted tests for the SARS-CoV-2 to 100% of the crew, so a positive case was detected. 

On December 19, the cruise ship left San Diego, United States, with 874 crew members and 1,35 passengers; visited Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán. Upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta, the presence of active cases of Covid-19 was reported among the cruise crew.

The state Secretary of Health reported that as of Thursday, December 23, 21 cases of Covid-19 were reported in the cruise ship’s crew. 

He added that no cases of the virus have been reported in passengers so far.

Last October, the CDC extended until January 15 the conditions for traveling on cruises established during the Covid-19 pandemic from United States ports, which expired on November 1.

The cruises are one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic in the United States. Given the number of infections registered onboard these ships, for more than a year they could not navigate from the country’s ports, which caused millions in losses to shipping companies.

Mexico Daily Post