Cordelia Cruise ship sent back to Mumbai with all passengers onboard, including COVID +ve

The Cordelia cruise ship which turned into a COVID-19 hotspot after 66 passengers on board tested positive for the infection, has been sent back to Mumbai as some infected persons reportedly refused to get admitted to Goa hospitals. The ship, carrying over 2,000 passengers, was sent back to Mumbai on Monday night after 27 passengers, who had tested positive, refused to disembark, said Govind Pernulkar, manager at a local ship agent.

The cruise liner, where the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had busted a high-profile rave party last October, was carrying hordes of New Year revelers when one of the crew members was found infected with Coronavirus. Mass testing of those on board the vessel revealed that 66 more passengers have contracted the disease. 

The ship had been docked near the Mormugao Port terminal in Goa since January 2, after the first case was reported among staff members. However, the cruise was sent back to Mumbai after some of the infected passengers refused to get admitted to a COVID-19 facility in Goa. Only six crew members out of the total 66 COVID-positive passengers were disembarked in Goa, Pernulkar said.

Cordelia Cruise ship to reach Mumbai today

After considering the situation, the South Goa district administration ordered that the ship be sent back to Mumbai along with all the passengers. Those who were shifted to an isolation facility in the coastal state were also brought back to the ship before it sailed to Mumbai. The coronavirus positive passengers would be isolated on the ship, he said. 

Some of the infected persons who refused to leave the ship were travelling along with their families, and a few of their family members had tested negative for the viral infection, he informed. The ship is expected to reach Mumbai by Tuesday afternoon.

(With inputs from agency)