139 additional Covid positives on the Cordelia Cruise

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), another 139 passengers on the Cordelia cruise ship, which is presently moored in Mumbai, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. This is in addition to the 66 people who tested positive on the MV Empress on January 1, including crew members, forcing the ship to return to Mumbai. A total of 205 people on board the ship has now tested positive for the virus. BMC shifted 41 people off the ship earlier on Wednesday and admitted them to various civic-run isolation centres and hospitals throughout the city. While the majority of the passengers experienced minor symptoms, one was taken to St. George's Hospital for treatment.

After the ship docked at Green Gate port in South Mumbai's Ballard Pier on Tuesday, the BMC gathered 1,827 samples. On New Year's Eve, the luxury cruise liner arrived in Goa's Mormugao Port Trust (MPT). On January 1, a crew member got flu-like symptoms and tested positive for the virus on a fast antigen test, prompting 66 other crew members to test positive as well. Of them, six crew members were allowed to disembark in Goa and were admitted to a local hospital. "The patients have been relocated at their own expense to institutions such as the Richardson and Crudas in Byculla, Suncity residency, Pacific residency, and other private hotels," an official stated. The remaining 19 were allowed to remain on the ship since they were mostly asymptomatic and had families with them. They were isolated inside the ship itself, another senior official revealed.

Shivadas Gurav, Assistant Municipal Commissioner from A-ward (where the ship is anchored) acknowledged the development. If a patient is completely asymptomatic and has no co-morbidities, he or she will be allowed to go home with a stamp on his hand to ensure that he or she adheres to isolation standards and protocols. If somebody is co-morbid and has major symptoms, then he/she would be moved for treatment,” said Gurav.

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