By Priti Naik
With rising cases of Covid-19, five cruise ships in Brazilian waters have reported cases of Covid-19 among their passengers and crew members. At least, 214 cases of Covid-19 are reported including in two ships that are in quarantine in the port of Santos. Two ships run by the Swiss-Italian cruise line MSC Cruises, each with more than 3,000 passengers are due to arrive in Rio de Janeiro and Santos.
According to reports, the MSC Seaside that is arriving on Thursday in Santos has reported 65 cases among crew members and 25 among passengers. The MSC Preziosa which is due to arrive in Rio has 25 crew and 8 passengers infected with Covid-19.
Meanwhile, addressing these increasing cases, the cruise ship companies in Brazil have suspended their operations till January 21. The health authorities have recommended against cruise ship travel following several offshore outbreaks of coronavirus. Industry association CLIA said that no ships will cast off during the “voluntary” suspension period, while those at sea will complete their voyages.
The MSC Splendida and the Costa Diadema, owned by Carnival Corp (CCL.N), are quarantined at anchor in Santos. These cruise ships have 62 and 30 crew members infected, respectively, with no passengers on board. The Costa Fascinosa, also owned by Carnival, is at port in Rio with 7 cases of COVID-19, five of them passengers.
