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January 30, 2020 A cruise vacation is likely to turn into a nightmare for the over 6000 passengers of the Costa Cruises ship , which stops at the port of Civitavecchia. On board a Macau couple, wife and husband, are in solitary confinement : the woman has a fever. So the health alarm went off and, unfortunately, also the fear of the Coronavirus infection among those who shared corridors and restaurants.

"The 54-year-old woman was placed in solitary confinement in the on-board hospital last night with her travel companion," the company said in a statement. "As soon as the suspected case was detected - continues the note - the on-board medical staff immediately activated the health procedures foreseen in these cases. The health authorities, promptly informed, are currently on board to carry out the necessary investigations. Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of guests and crew. The company has made itself available to the health authority and will strictly follow its instructions ".

The outburst on social media tells long moments of waiting: "In Civitavecchia we are stuck on the Costa ship without knowing the reason (officially) ..." writes a Twitter user, who also posts some photos of the passengers waiting in the ship's premises: nobody seems wear protective masks.

The stressful wait, due to the necessary checks by doctors who arrived from the Spallanzani Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome, triggered anxiety and fear. The disembarkation of the 1143 passengers who should have been disembarked at Civitavecchia has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, the first reassurances from Spallanzani arrive: the tests carried out on the couple would exclude the infection. Leaving last Thursday from the Roman port, Costa Smeralda has already docked in Savona, La Spezia, Marseille, Barcelona before returning to Civitavecchia.

"We are on board, they are checking two passengers in the infirmary," writes Antonella on the Facebook group 'Costa Smeralda Fan Club'. This creates a chain of comments and questions from other passengers. "I just discussed with the reception because they want us to leave the booth and go all to the meeting points ... but if there is a virus case is it better to stay in the booth?".

#CostaCivitavecchia pic.twitter.com/fXkvkZPiW6

- Filippo🇮🇹 (@ Filippo64416163) January 30, 2020

The Harbor Master's Office specifies that the situation is still under control and that it should be released within a few hours. The Chinese couple were placed in isolation in separate areas of the ship's sanitary space. The isolation of the companion occurred as a precaution. "With reference to the investigations on a Chinese passenger of the Costa Smeralda, I inform that from this morning I am in contact with the Port Commander and with the Maritime Health Office to monitor and keep the situation under control", says the mayor of Civitavecchia Ernesto Tedesco, who explains to Rainews' microphones: I have a duty to protect my citizens.