Mumbai: After a crew member on the Mumbai-Goa Cordelia Cruise came in contact with covid, 66 other passengers on board test positive on Monday. The crew member who had first tested Covid positive was isolated immediately at the onset of his symptoms, the company’s CEO said on Tuesday. He, however, alleged a lack of empathy from the authorities as no one was allowed to disembark the ship in Goa.
Cordelia Cruises said that it complied with all regulations stipulated by the Directorate General of Shipping, India, and followed all Covid protocols.
“Ever since our cruise set sail in September 2021 with 1,400 guests on board, all crew members, as well as guests, have had to undertake an RT-PCR test which is no more than 48 hours prior to boarding. The RT-PCR is mandatory as is being double-vaccinated for both crew as well as all guests onboard,” a statement issued by Jurgen Bailom, CEO and President of Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd, that owns the Cordelia brand read.
“The guests that boarded the cruise last Sunday had all tested negative in their RT-PCR at the time of boarding. They were also fully vaccinated. It was only when one crew member and that, too, someone who works at the back of the house, showed mild symptoms on board last Sunday and was immediately isolated, that all guests and crew had to undergo tests again. The results of which showed that a few guests and one crew member onboard have tested positive,” Bailom’s statement read.
“I reiterate that the crew member who showed mild symptoms did so very close to departure and was immediately and safely isolated. This means that the crew member wasn’t exposed to anyone or vice versa for over 15 hours,” it added.
“Our cruise and management have not only cooperated wholly with the authorities but also borne every single additional expenditure, including testing of all guests, transporting them and so on. It was disheartening to witness a lack of empathy on the part of the authorities for neither allowing local residents nor tourists to disembark. The cruise, however, will be bringing them back to Mumbai and scheduling their flights back to Goa,” Bailom said.
He claimed that there were no officials present at the port at the time of the incident. “The cruise was merely receiving haphazard instructions from the collector,” he said.
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