The Government of Malta and MSC Cruises have reached a mutual agreement that, exclusively on the occasion of today, the cruise liner MSC Opera will not enter Malta’s port, a government statement said.
It was previously reported in sections of the media that earlier this week that the ship underwent voluntary quarantine when a former passenger from Austria was diagnosed with the Coronavirus. There are no reported cases on board the vessel.
The government in a statement said that “this decision has been taken following public alarm raised by misleading information given by a local media outlet (not The Malta Independent) through a story riddled with partial truths and erroneous details. It is pertinent to note that according to information received by the government and medical reviews and clearances granted by other foreign ports the ship has visited, there is no case of Coronavirus on board the MSC Opera which was planned to enter Malta.”
“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 of Malta appeals for responsibility and maturity in statements made in relation to the outbreak of Coronavirus.”
News reports previously read that the president of the Medical Association of Malta Martin Balzan had threatened industrial action should the authorities have allowed the ship to dock.
In a statement earlier in the day, the Malta Association of Public Health Medicine said that Public Health authorities had repeatedly stated that close contacts of any person confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 are to be put under mandatory quarantine. Furthermore, all symptomatic contacts are to be tested.
“Should the MSC Opera dock in Malta, it would have to be put under mandatory quarantine until the elapse of 14 days from the 28th February,” the association had said.
“Maltese authorities would have to test any passenger or crew member who becomes symptomatic in the meantime. It thus seems logical not to allow the ship to dock in Malta. Reports that the Superintendent of Public Health’s decision to this effect has been overruled are worrying. MAPHM fully supports the Superintendent of Public Health’s decision to stop this cruise liner from docking.”
The public health authorities need to be given full discretion in deciding what is best for the safety and public health of persons in Malta, the association said.