Cruise: India takes drastic measures over epidemic

On Monday, the port of Mangalore rejected the cruise ship "MSC Lirica" ​​on the grounds that the central government in New Delhi had decided that cruise ships with a foreign destination should no longer be allowed to land. The regulation therefore applies until the end of March.

It was initially unclear whether there were people infected with the coronavirus on board the "MSC Lirica". The ship has space for up to 2000 passengers and 700 crew members.

The "MSC Lirica" ​​belongs to the shipping company MSC Cruises based in Geneva. According to their website, the company is the largest privately owned cruise line in the world. It has more than 30,000 employees and operates in 69 countries.

Cruise ship "Diamond Princess" quarantined for two weeks

Since the fall of the "Diamond Princess", which had been quarantined two weeks off the coast of Japan last month due to numerous coronavirus cases on board, cruise ships have been a dangerous breeding ground for the novel corona virus. It has been proven that more than 700 Diamond Princess inmates were infected with the virus, and six of them died.

21 infections were also detected on the "Grand Princess", which is currently off the California coast and is scheduled to dock at the port of Oakland on Monday. The majority of the 3,533 people on board the ship still have to be tested for the virus.

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There are 40 documented coronavirus cases in India. The government in New Delhi is currently issuing daily health warnings for fear of the virus spreading further. Several events on the occasion of the Holi Festival starting on Tuesday have been canceled.

Singapore has cruise ship "Costa Fortuna" moored

A cruise ship rejected for fear of the corona virus in Malaysia and Thailand with dozen Italians on board is now allowed to moor in Singapore. The "Costa Fortuna" may enter the port on Tuesday as planned, the city-state announced on Monday. Before the around 2,000 people are allowed to go ashore, however, they should all be checked for the novel corona virus.

The ship had previously been rejected by both the Malaysian state of Penang and the port of the Thai holiday island of Phuket. According to the shipping company Costa Cruises, there is no suspected coronavirus case on board the ship.

The authorities in Malaysia and Thailand justified their actions by fearing coronavirus cases on the ship. They pointed out that 64 Italians are on board the "Costa Fortuna". Italy is the country most affected by the coronavirus epidemic.

The fall of the "Costa Fortuna" commemorates the two-week wandering of the cruise ship "Westerdam", which had been rejected in five Asian countries because of fears of the corona virus before it finally landed in Cambodia in mid-February.