The cruise ship chaos caused by the coronavirus continues. Nearly 70 British tourists were among 7,000 passengers and crew stuck on a cruise ship in the Italian port of Cititavecchia on Thursday evening, as doctors carried out tests on a Chinese couple whom it was feared may have contracted the coronavirus, according to The Telegraph.
The 66 British passengers were expected to spend the night on board the massive Costa Smeralda ship as Italian experts waited for the results of the tests.
Medical sources said that it was “unlikely” that the couple from Macau had the potentially deadly virus but all precautions were being taken.
The ship was put on lockdown when it was noticed that the 54-year-old wife was suffering from a fever and breathing difficulties.
Authorities said passengers and crew would be held on the vessel, until the all-clear was officially given. This could take up to 48 hours, according to the doctors from the Lazzaro Spallanzani national institute for infectious diseases, who were conducting the tests.
The two Chinese tourists were placed in isolation in the ship’s hospital.
Read the full article online.