Cordelia Cruise suspends Jan 5 sailing tour, issues statement after 66 test COVID positive

After 66 people tested positive on the Cordelia cruise ship, the company has issued a statement informing that they are suspending their sailing tours on January 3 and January 5. In view of the rising COVID-19 cases, the cruise company said that they have cancelled the tours "due to change in COVID-19 protocols."

“Due to change in safety protocols with prevailing COVID-19 restrictions and in compliance with government authorities, we will be suspending our sailing for 3rd Jan'22 and 5th Jan'22. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused,” the company said in a statement.

As many as 66 people of the over 2,000 people aboard the Cordelia cruise ship, tested positive for COVID-19. As the testing continued on Monday, the ship has been docked in Goa after departure from Mumbai. The ship is docked near the Mormugao Port cruise terminal.

According to a report by PTI, the cruise ship had been carrying a large number of New Year revellers. A medical team in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) boarded the ship to conduct RT-PCR tests on passengers and crew members. According to officials, passengers were directed not to disembark from the ship until the results of the RT-PCR tests were announced. The passengers were tested after one of the crew members was found infected with COVID-19 on Sunday (January 2).

It should be mentioned here that the Cordelia cruise ship had made headlines in the month of October over a drug raid case involving Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, and several others.

COVID-19 tally in Goa

The ship operator has been requested to run tests on all passengers, and they will not be permitted to depart if they are found to be infected with the coronavirus, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane told reporters on Sunday. According to official data, Goa recorded 388 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (January 2), taking the total number of infections in the state to 1,81,570.

Meanwhile, with one more death, COVID fatalities reached 3,523 in the state. Goa has been advised by the Election Commission to vaccinate maximum population and ensure proper implementation of COVID protocols as the state will be going to polls in coming months.

(Image: @CordeliaCruises/Twitter)