Uruguay evacuates last passengers from liner

Uruguay evacuated on Wednesday the last 15 passengers aboard the Australian cruise ship Greg Mortimer that had been anchored off the South American coast since March 27 with more than half its passengers and crew infected with the new coronavirus.

A charter flight with equipment and medical staff will fly the tourists to Miami. From there, European and Canadian citizens - nine in total - will return to their countries on commercial flights.

On Friday, Uruguay evacuated 112 Australians and New Zealanders from the cruise ship operated by Australia's Aurora Expeditions.

Uruguay had originally refused to let passengers off the cruise ship, after authorities said that 128 of the 217 people tested on the ship were positive for the new coronavirus.

They later sent medical teams to the ship to ensure people's health and monitored the situation via WhatsApp.

The Greg Mortimer departed March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia that was titled "In Shackleton's Footsteps," a reference to Ernest Shackleton, the polar explorer who led British expeditions to the region and died there in 1922.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.