MSC Cruises: The ship has no problem
cruise ship
05 Mar 2020
/ 09:15
GENEVA. MSC Cruises has issued a statement regarding its cruise ship MSC Opera, which is due to dock in Corfu today.
The statement follows the report in British tabloids that there is a case of coronavirus on board and that the passengers - over 1,500 of them - are in quarantine.
The Italian cruise company, which has its headquarters in Geneva, gave assurances yesterday that, firstly, they have followed all the necessary procedures and secondly, there have been absolutely no symptoms amongst the passengers and the crew of the MSC Opera. The Greek authorities gave the ship the green light to leave Piraeus port and sail to Corfu without any restrictions.
Statement from MSC Cruises:
"Health Authorities in Austria today informed us that a passenger of Austrian nationality, who had cruised with us on MSC Opera in the East Mediterranean from 17 to 28 February, tested positive yesterday, 3 March, for COVID-19. This passenger returned directly to Austria through northern Italy on 28 February immediately after disembarking from his cruise in Genoa, Italy.
MSC Opera earlier today arrived in Piraeus, Greece, and we promptly informed the Greek Health Authorities about this reported case and asked for their guidelines. We requested at the same time that passengers, as a precautionary measure, remained on board while awaiting guidance from the local authorities.
We shared with the local health authorities the ship's full medical records as well as the medical and travel history records of the former Austrian passenger.
The Greek health authorities gave MSC Opera permission around 13:00 CET to sail from Piraeus, Greece, and continue its journey to its next scheduled port in Corfu, Greece. No additional health measures were required to be taken and the ship is currently sailing as planned.
There are no passengers or crew members currently on board the ship who have reported any flu-like symptoms.
The health and safety of our passengers and crew will always remain our top priority."
The Italian cruise company, which has its headquarters in Geneva, gave assurances yesterday that, firstly, they have followed all the necessary procedures and secondly, there have been absolutely no symptoms amongst the passengers and the crew of the MSC Opera. The Greek authorities gave the ship the green light to leave Piraeus port and sail to Corfu without any restrictions.
Statement from MSC Cruises:
"Health Authorities in Austria today informed us that a passenger of Austrian nationality, who had cruised with us on MSC Opera in the East Mediterranean from 17 to 28 February, tested positive yesterday, 3 March, for COVID-19. This passenger returned directly to Austria through northern Italy on 28 February immediately after disembarking from his cruise in Genoa, Italy.
MSC Opera earlier today arrived in Piraeus, Greece, and we promptly informed the Greek Health Authorities about this reported case and asked for their guidelines. We requested at the same time that passengers, as a precautionary measure, remained on board while awaiting guidance from the local authorities.
We shared with the local health authorities the ship's full medical records as well as the medical and travel history records of the former Austrian passenger.
The Greek health authorities gave MSC Opera permission around 13:00 CET to sail from Piraeus, Greece, and continue its journey to its next scheduled port in Corfu, Greece. No additional health measures were required to be taken and the ship is currently sailing as planned.
There are no passengers or crew members currently on board the ship who have reported any flu-like symptoms.
The health and safety of our passengers and crew will always remain our top priority."
