Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
A Russian couple trapped on the cruise ship off the Italian coast which has been quarantined following coronavirus fears say they are “very scared” about what is happening.
Olesya Utasheva and her husband are among the 6,000 passengers together with 1,000 crew trapped on board the Costa Smeralda that has been quarantined in the port city of Civitavecchia, near Rome, after a Chinese woman fell ill with a high fever.
But this Russian couple who issued a message via a video shot on board said that panic had not broken out because many people did not realise what was going on, and very few were asking questions about the lockdown.
The husband, who declined to give his name, says in the video: “We are very scared. We were told that two passengers from Hong Kong were suspected of being infected by the coronavirus.
“On 25th of January, they came to Milan from Hong Kong, then they flew onto Savona.”
He added: “They are now being examined but in the event of a positive test, I don’t know what we are going to do.”
The cruise ship which has 6000 passengers and 1000 crew on board is currently being held off the Italian coast after reports of the Chinese woman fell ill with a suspected case of coronavirus.
The Chinese woman’s husband is reportedly not suspected of having the virus but has also been put in solitary confinement.
The couple are currently in separated isolated rooms in the ship’s medical bay, and test results are due later today.
All passengers have been told they cannot leave until the test results are confirmed. The company that owns the ship, Costa Crociere, has confirmed that it is on lockdown and that of those on board – 751 are Chinese.
They said the ship is their flagship and had come from Palma de Mallorca and was now on a one-week cruise in the western Mediterranean.
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