Cruise ships have returned to Greece — and so have the on-ship COVID-19 outbreaks.
Greater than 1,500 individuals have been remoted onboard a Maltese-flagged cruise ship in Greece after 12 crew members examined constructive for the coronavirus.
The Mein Schiff 6, which is run by TUI Cruises, was moored off Milos within the Aegean Sea after the constructive check outcomes Monday, in response to Greek authorities.
The cruise was the primary of its sort to go to Greek waters since March, when the nation went into lockdown. The worldwide cruise trade additionally shut down round that point after a flurry of high-profile outbreaks on ships.
The Mein Schiff 6 left Herkalion on Sunday night time with 922 passengers and 666 crew members on board, in response to Greece’s Transport Ministry.
The ship had been slated to go to Piraeus, close to Athens, earlier than heading to the island of Corfu.
Twelve individuals examined constructive for COVID-19 throughout a pattern check of 150 crew members, officers stated. All 12 have been asymptomatic with a “low viral load,” Greece’s Nationwide Public Well being Group stated.
The 12 contaminated crew have been remoted and the ship is anticipated to move on to Piraeus for added testing on Tuesday.
Cruise ships have been hit exhausting by the coronavirus within the early days of the pandemic, earlier than the illness gained a foothold in nations around the globe.
Ships proved to be floating Petri dishes for the virus, with a number of instances rapidly ballooning into dozens over the course of a number of days in lockdown.
Well being officers around the globe, together with these in Canada, have warned individuals for months in regards to the heightened danger of COVID-19 on cruise ships.
The Canadian authorities urges all residents to keep away from journey on cruise ships exterior of Canada till additional discover.
“Cruise ship outbreaks of COVID-19 point out that a lot of people onboard can turn into contaminated,” the federal government’s guidelines say.
“If an outbreak of COVID-19 happens in your cruise ship whilst you’re exterior of Canada, our skill to assist could also be restricted.”
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Questions on COVID-19? Listed here are some issues you might want to know:
Symptoms can embody fever, cough and issue respiration — similar to a chilly or flu. Some individuals can develop a extra extreme sickness. Individuals most vulnerable to this embody older adults and folks with extreme continual medical situations like coronary heart, lung or kidney illness. When you develop signs, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, consultants suggest frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. In addition they suggest minimizing contact with others, staying house as a lot as attainable and sustaining a distance of two metres from different individuals for those who exit. In conditions the place you’ll be able to’t maintain a secure distance from others, public well being officers suggest the usage of a non-medical face masks or overlaying to forestall spreading the respiratory droplets that may carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities throughout the nation, masks or face coverings are actually necessary in indoor public areas.
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