First modification:
The authorities of the tourist city of Cartagena de Indias, which at one point evaluated the landing with strict protocols, decided to deny access to the Colombian port to avoid new infections of coronavirus.
The Seven Seas Mariner cruise ship planned the disembarkation of crew and tourists in the attractive city of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, but the entry was denied after knowing seven positive cases of Covid-19 on board.
Johana Bueno, director of the city’s Health Department, assured that the boat was received by the authorities to assess the situation and they determined that there was an epidemiological risk.
“An epidemiological risk assessment was made and a determination was made not to let off the crew or passengers who come aboard this vessel,” said the official.
Since Tuesday, December 21, the captain of the cruise ship with capacity for 769 passengers and 445 crew members, reported that he was sailing with six of his crew and one passenger positive for Covid-19.
Well I assure you that upon learning of the cases, “all measures were taken, the information was verified, the close contacts were identified and specific instructions were given that include the quarantine of the crew on the ship and the isolation of the positive case and its close contacts “.
The cruise covers the Miami-Key West-Cartagena-Panama route and now continued on to neighboring Panama.
A recent reopening
The restrictions in Colombia did not allow the disembarkation of cruise ships until recently. On August 24 and after being closed for 17 months due to the pandemic, the port of Cartagena de Indias, one of Colombia’s favorite destinations, received the Star Breeze of the Windstar Cruise line with 87 tourists on board.
Then the ship, coming from Curaçao, docked at the cruise terminal under strict sanitary measures and was received by the city authorities.
Until December 21, Cartagena reported 56 active cases of COVID-19 with 127 thousand confirmed and 2,178 deaths since March 2020, when the pandemic began.
William Dau, mayor of Cartagena confirmed to the local media, BLU Radio, that the landing was not allowed to protect the city. “We cannot take the risk. What we say is you cannot disembark here, go to another port,” said the mayor.
At first the authorities planned for the passengers to get off to carry out tests and rule out cases of the new Omicron variant, but later they decided not to allow the slightest contact. “There will be no contact between the passengers and the crew and the authorities in Cartagena,” Mayor Dau stressed to RCN News.
Fernando Ruiz, Minister of Health of Colombia, confirmed three cases of the Omicron variant in that country, two of them in Cartagena de Indias and another in Santa Marta, both neighboring cities and with tourist ports.
Throughout the year Cartagena de Indias receives tourists from all over the world due to its tropical climate and strategic location, although between November and January the arrival of tourists from the United States and South America increases. The cruise ship was the 19th vessel that arrived in the Colombian tourist city after the pause due to the pandemic.
Colombia reported that 129,534 people have lost their lives due to the pandemic and more than five million have been infected.
With EFE
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