Cruise line tighten Ebola checks

THE cruise industry has
taken steps to reduce
the risk of Ebola being
brought on-board ships, with
major cruise lines handing
out comprehensive health
questionnaires.
Thaybz Kahn, product
manager & marketing
assistant of Cruises
International, says Royal
Caribbean International and
other cruise lines will deny
boarding to all passengers
and crew who have travelled
to, in or through Sierra
Leone, Guinea or Liberia
during the 21 days before
embarkation. Passengers
who have been in physical
contact with, or helped care
for, a person with Ebola
during the same time frame
will also be denied boarding.
“The health and safety of
our guests is of utmost
importance, and all the
cruise lines we represent will
not compromise this in any
situation,” she says.
A number of Caribbean
countries, including Jamaica
and Guyana, have announced
bans on entry to foreigners
who have travelled through
Sierra Leone, Guinea and
Liberia. Passengers from
Nigeria will also be required
to present a “recent medical
certificate” clearing them of
the virus. Colombia has gone
one step further and also
included Senegal and Nigeria
in its ban.
The new screening
procedure comes in the
wake of a recent Ebola scare
on the Carnival Magic. The
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention discovered
that a laboratory worker
who had handled Ebola
specimens had boarded the
vessel. The lab supervisor
was voluntarily quarantined
in her cabin.
After being turned away
in Belize, the ship, with
more than 4 000 on board,
headed to Cozumel, Mexico,
where officials denied
authorisation for a scheduled
port visit. The passenger
has since tested negative
for Ebola, and the 21-day
incubation period has
passed.