SINGAPORE: The cruise liner turned away from ports in Malaysia and Thailand due to COVID-19 docked in Singapore on Tuesday morning (Mar 10), with some passengers immediately taken to Changi Airport by bus.
The Costa Fortuna berthed at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre as part of a scheduled call, after the ship was barred from stopping in Penang and Phuket.
This despite the cruise operator stating there were no suspected COVID-19 cases on board although the ship was carrying dozens of Italian passengers.
The whole of Italy was placed on lockdown on Tuesday after it reported 97 more deaths from COVID-19, taking its toll to 463 with confirmed cases at 9,172. Italy has the largest death toll outside China.
Passengers CNA spoke to said the mood on board was generally fine, but some said they were disappointed they could not alight in Penang or Phuket. Some passengers said they had their temperature taken before disembarking.
The passengers included those from Germany, Australia, Slovenia and Romania.
READ: Costa Fortuna cruise passengers to undergo health checks when disembarking in Singapore
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Singapore authorities said on Monday that disembarking passengers would be checked by a doctor on board to ensure they were healthy.
Passengers entering Singapore would have their temperature taken, while those who had fever and/or symptoms of respiratory illness might be required to undergo a COVID-19 swab test. Passengers with no symptoms would be taken directly to the airport for onward flights, while those who have would be taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
The Costa Fortuna docked in Singapore on Mar 10, 2020. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
The cruise centre was closed to the public on Tuesday morning, as staff and security officers screened passes and prevented reporters from taking photographs.
The first batch of passengers left the centre at about 9am and were quickly ushered to a waiting coach. The coach displayed a label showing the number of a Singapore Airlines flight departing for Bangkok at 6.35pm on Tuesday.
Subsequent batches of around 30 to 40 passengers each were also taken to waiting coaches, tightly ushered by auxiliary officers keen on preventing them from speaking to the media.
Some of the coaches had labels showing the Crowne Plaza hotel in Changi Airport. Another coach had a label that indicated it was for members of the Dutch airline KLM.
Travellers from the Costa Fortuna disembark on Mar 10, 2020. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
“Nobody (on board) had fear,” a passenger from Germany said. “There’s no pain for us.”
A passenger from Romania said passengers were allowed to disembark in Langkawi, but not in Penang and Phuket.
“The cruise stopped in Phuket for four hours, then (moved off),” he said, making a hand gesture of a vehicle speeding off. “They told us that it’s closed.”
Another passenger from Australia said it was “upsetting” that her holiday was “cut short” as passengers were not allowed to disembark in Penang and Phuket.
“But it is what it is, (the virus) is worldwide,” she said, adding that it was still a “lovely” holiday.
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