Coronavirus: Cruise ship turned away from Malta amid doctor threats

A cruise ship has been turned away from Malta after doctors threatened industrial action if it docked amid coronavirus concerns.

The MSC Opera's operator said it agreed not enter the country's port on Friday to "avoid unnecessary public unrest".

The government said the decision followed "public alarm raised by misleading information" and blamed an unnamed local media outlet. กลุ่มลับไลฟ์สด20+

Both the government and the operator said there were no cases on board.

"Despite the established facts, the Maltese government and MSC Cruises have decided to approve the re-routing of cruise liner MSC Opera so as to avoid further concern among the Maltese public," the government said.

The Swiss-owned vessel, which is carrying 2,302 passengers and crew, is now heading to the Italian city of Messina.

It said it would stop at the city on Sunday "as scheduled".

What's the background?

An Austrian passenger who left the ship at Genoa, Italy, on 28 February was later diagnosed with the virus.

MSC Cruises said the passenger tested positive for Covid-19 two days after returning to Austria via northern Italy.

After leaving Italy, the ship continued its cruise to Greece and arrived in the city of Piraeus on Wednesday - the same day that the owner was alerted by Austrian authorities about the passenger who had fallen ill. หลุดไลฟ์สดพริตตี้

Coronavirus: Cruise ship turned away from Malta amid doctor threats - BBC News