Coronavirus: Cambodia agrees to host cruise ship MS Westerdam

Text by: RFI Follow

It has been since February 1 that they have not set foot on land and it is ultimately Cambodia which accepts to host the cruise ship MS Westerdam kept at sea at sea for fear of the coronavirus. The boat arrived Wednesday evening can now be seen from the coastal town of Sihanoukville, but it is still awaiting authorization to dock.

Publicity

With our correspondents in Phnom Penh and Tokyo, Juliette Buchez and Bruno Duval

Passengers of the MS Westerdam will have to wait at least until tomorrow Friday to set foot on the ground. No cases of coronavirus have yet been reported among the 2,257 people on board the boat. The samples of 20 passengers suffering from various ailments were nevertheless sent to the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia to be tested there before a green light could be given.

MS Westerdam, which left Singapore in mid-January, last visited Hong Kong on February 1. A stopover which partly justified the refusal by five countries to let the boat of the operator Holland America Line dock.

Cambodia's unwavering support

By accepting the MS Westerdam, rejected until then, Cambodia wants once again to show its support for the Chinese partner whereas the coronavirus was declared "world emergency" by the WHO.

The Cambodian Prime Minister is also the only head of government to have visited Chinese soil since the onset of the disease in late December.

Several embassies are mobilized with the Cambodian authorities. They must then organize the routing of passengers to Phnom Penh, if the screenings are negative.

Distrust is in order after the case of the Diamond Princess

The case of the Diamond Princess , quarantined in Japan, has fueled fears of a spread of the coronavirus epidemic. More than 200 cases are now confirmed among the 3,700 passengers of this cruise ship, which has still broken down off Yokohama since Monday evening. Its passengers and crew members are absolutely prohibited from disembarking because a cruise line from Hong Kong has tested positive for coronavirus.

300 of these vacationers were examined by doctors, either because they coughed or had a fever, or because they had been in close contact with this Hong Kong man. The results of the first 30 tests have already detected around ten additional infections. The sick were hospitalized, and all the other passengers were quarantined for 14 days.

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• Cambodia
• coronavirus
• Japan

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