Cruise passengers whose operations were interrupted in recent days by outbreaks in Covid report on social media that they have received little assistance during isolation. They narrate problems such as a shortage of food, lack of cleanliness and difficulty in obtaining medical care.
The MSC Splendida cruise, which was destined for Rio de Janeiro, had to dock at the port of Santos on Wednesday (29) after an increase in Covid cases observed among the crew. In total, 51 crew and 27 passengers tested positive. There were also identified 54 people who had contact with the infected.
In an official letter sent to Anvisa this Friday (31), the company MSC Cruises announced the closure of cruise operations. The agency said, in a statement, that passengers who tested positive should continue, on land, the isolation initiated on the vessel and that they will be monitored by the Cievs (Strategic Information Centers for Health Surveillance) in the cities of destination.
Everyone else will have to pass tests for Covid-19 before disembarking. According to Anvisa, the duration of the landing operation is subject to operational needs and must be organized by the company.
MSC Cruises says that guests began to disembark in a staggered manner this Friday (31) and that the disembarkation process continues during this Saturday (1st).
This Friday, passenger Viviane Cardoso wrote on social media that, after three days confined to MSC Splendida with a negative test for Covid, she still couldn’t get information from the company. She complained about the lack of cleaning inside the cabins during the isolation and said that she faces difficulties even to obtain food.
“Food, if not requested (extension always busy) is not reaching us. When it does, it is cold. This morning I received this breakfast. We have no choice. Either we eat it or we don’t eat anything,” he wrote.
Passenger Thalita Leme, who tested positive on the ship and has already disembarked, wrote in a Facebook group that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who tested negative, have been isolated and “starving” for three days.
She also stated that passengers are not receiving adequate medical care.
“The guy in the cabin next door, burning with fever, asked for a dipyrone, it took more than five hours, they only gave it after a lot of scandal, we didn’t have a single doctor’s observation, they didn’t even call to ask if we were okay, we ate the time when they decided to give and what they decided to give, everything cold, the rest… It was a nightmare”, he wrote.
In a statement, the company stated that the cruise was canceled due to the impact on the scheduled itinerary, due to the ship’s return to Santos. MSC Cruises also said that “it is supporting the guests, including logistics and accommodation, as needed and demanded”.
The company also stated that it has a “robust health and safety protocol”, with mandatory presentation of proof of vaccination and testing for shipment. According to MSC Cruises, the ships operate with 75% of their occupancy capacity and social distance is mandatory, as is the use of masks.
The company did not clarify what might have triggered the Covid-19 outbreak on the vessel and said it had identified “a limited number of cases”. MSC Cruises also did not comment on claims of negligence among passengers.
This Friday, Anvisa interrupted activities on another cruise, the Costa Diadema, which was docked at the port of Salvador.
The vessel left with 3,836 travelers and was destined for Ilhéus (BA), but will have to return to the port of Santos after the confirmation of 68 cases of Covid-19 so far. As with MSC Splendida, most infections occurred among the crew. Fifty-six of them tested positive, and 12 among passengers.
Travelers with a positive test were authorized to disembark in Salvador, who will stay in isolation in hotels already provided by the cruise operator. Residents of the capital of Bahia were also able to leave the vessel.
According to the contingency plan, the vessel will be able to proceed, subject to restrictions on board, to Santos. This means that all non-essential activities must be stopped.
Upon disembarking in Santos, all travelers will have to be tested. Monitoring must be carried out by the Cievs.
In the Costa Diadema Facebook group, passenger Milton José Silva stated that he is undergoing “inhumane treatment” on board the ship, with difficulty in accessing medical care.
He also said that passengers need to ask for food several times to be served and that on Thursday breakfast was not offered. He also wrote that the room is not being cleaned and that toilet paper and new towels are lacking.
In a statement, Costa Cruises announced the interruption of Costa Diadema operations for shipments to Santos on January 3rd and 10th and shipments to Salvador on January 6th and 13th.
The company said that it adopts “strict health procedures” for boarding, such as mandatory presentation of proof of vaccination and negative test. When contacted, the company did not respond to what might have motivated the outbreak, nor did it comment on complaints of lack of assistance.
Given the increase in cases of Covid on vessels, Anvisa recommended to the Ministry of Health on Friday the temporary suspension of the cruise ship season, on a preventive basis, until there is more data available to assess the epidemiological scenario.
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