BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Monday March 2, 2020 – Two crew members on the Carnival Fascination cruise ship, who were tested in Barbados after exhibiting flu-like symptoms, have been found not to have the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The vessel had docked in Barbados last Thursday, a day earlier than scheduled, after being turned away from St Lucia, when it was discovered that three crew members had exhibited flu-like symptoms earlier in the week and two had tested positive for Influenza A.
When the ship arrived in Barbados, according to a government statement, local health authorities boarded and took swabs from the “at risk” individuals.
All three were returned negative.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George said that as soon as the results were known, the ship was given the all-clear and the passengers allowed to disembark. The ship was carrying 2,281 passengers, including 37 Barbadians and 896 crew members.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley had explained that the government had allowed the ship to come into the island because, unlike St Lucia, Barbados has the capability to test for COVID-19.
She said that while the ship reported that everyone was asymptomatic by the time it reached Barbados, it was out of “an abundance of caution” that health authorities decided to carry out the tests and to confine the passengers and crew to the ship until the results were known.
