Faced with the French authorities' refusal to let the Costa Deliziosa dock in Marseille, French passengers aboard this cruise ship fear being landed in Italy, a country very affected by the Covid-19. "The French authorities refuse the landing of more than 400 French people in Marseille! This is the reason for our anger! We risk being landed in Italy! Is it really reasonable? "Said Michèle Contini, a 72-year-old French retiree, contacted by AFP via the WhatsApp application.
Leaving for a world tour, Michèle and her husband Patrick, 70, had left Venice on January 5, for a return to the city of the Doges scheduled for April 26. "Everything was going very well until February 20, when we were informed of a change of itinerary," explains Michèle Contini: cancellation of the planned stops in Asia and direct route to Australia and New Zealand. Then the Indian Ocean certainly, but only for technical stopovers.
Fear of "being quarantined"
"In fact, since March 17 (beginning of confinement in France), no one has climbed or dismounted from the boat, and if the hygiene measures have been reinforced, all activities remain," insists this retired Bayonnaise. “The bars and restaurants are open, as well as the shows, everything is going well, there is no coronavirus on board. Except that we are in uncertainty concerning our return to France, ”she explains.
Another fear: "the risk of being quarantined", if they have to return from Italy. While the Spanish authorities have authorized a stopover of the ship in Barcelona, the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône confirmed Friday evening the prohibition made to the Costa Deliziosa to dock in the Marseille city, where it had no stopover planned.
The cruiser expected to land there "423 French passengers, 4 Monegasques and 3 French crew members", as well as "580 people living in Germany, Belgium and Switzerland".
Spanish nationals landed in Barcelona
In a statement on Saturday, Costa Cruises confirmed that the 168 Spanish nationals aboard the Deliziosa will be landed in Barcelona on Monday. The rest of the 1,814 passengers and 898 crew members will disembark from Wednesday in the Italian port of Genoa, where the ship is expected to dock Tuesday evening. No case of Covid-19 is to be reported on board, insists the company, which confirms that it "will organize the transport of its remaining passengers, to their final destination, from Genoa", and this "despite the complexities due to travel restrictions imposed by various governments to counter the spread of the pandemic.
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In this press release, the company does not mention the proposal of the mayor of Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) to recover a couple of retired Cannes residents on board, as well as the parents of a Cannes resident, during a stopover that the Deliziosa could make off the city. David Lisnard had made this proposal in a letter sent Friday to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves le Drian, mail sent Saturday to AFP.
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