Page 19 - DVG

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 28 February 2020
Dominican Republic turns back cruise ship amid virus fears

SANTO DOMINGO, Do- main in Cozumel. Assuming
minican Republic (AP) — clearance to disembark is
A cruise ship heading to given, passengers would
the Dominican Republic be free to tour Cozumel
to disembark hundreds of through the end of Friday.
passengers after a 14-day The cruise line had ex-
tour was turned away on pressed frustration with the
Thursday because offi- rejections, which came
cials feared eight of those after it reported the crew
aboard showed potential member was sick with com-
symptoms of the COVID-19 mon seasonal flu.
virus, officials announced. "The ship is being allowed to
A joint statement by the dock and the passengers,
Public Health Ministry and those who are aboard the
Port Authority said the cap- cruise ship, can disembark,"
tain of the Braemar report- López Obrador said, add-
ed four Filipinos, two British ing that health inspections
citizens and two U.S. citi- will be carried out.
zens were under medical "We cannot act with dis-
observation for symptoms crimination," he said. "Imag-
such as fever, coughing, or ine if a ship arrived and
breathing difficulty. it wasn't even allowed to
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines dock, and they were told,
said in an emailed state- This June 3, 2017 file photo shows the upper deck pool area of the MSC Meraviglia cruise ship 'Keep going on your way,
ment that it had reported docked in Le Havre harbour, Normandy, France. The cruise ship was turned away in Feb. see where you can dock.'
Associated Press
"a small number of influ- That is inhuman."
enza-like cases on board. minican Republic,'' Fred. to get off the ship, after they coastal state of Quintana He added "we cannot
Our medical team has now Olsen said in a written had been previously turned Roo, said two people had close our ports, nor can we
advised that they are all statement. away from two ports. been detected with acute close our airports."
feeling better. No guests The cruise line's website The MSC Meraviglia, turned respiratory infections not "Imagine the desperation
or crew are, or have been, shows the ship had been away by two nations due to believed to be the new and everything it implies,
displaying symptoms that due to pick up another fears of the virus outbreak, coronavirus and that other almost 5,000 people on a
are considered to be con- load of passengers and set docked at Cozumel on passengers wouldn't be ship and they cannot get
sistent with those of Coro- off on a new cruise Thurs- Thursday and President An- allowed off until tests on off," he said. "Why such
navirus." Officials said the day night. drés Manuel López Obra- those two came back later backward attitudes?"
ship was carrying 1,128 Public Health Minister Rafa- dor said passengers would Thursday. The case of the Meravi-
passengers and 384 crew el Sánchez Cárdenas said be allowed to disembark. The two were identified as glia illustrated the crisis of
members. The cruise line the ship already had been López Obrador said a 27-year-old male crew nerves over the COVID-19
said it was "awaiting ad- barred by another port, Mexico had to act with member from the Philip- virus. Mexico has no con-
vice on the next steps" and which he did not specify. "humanity"after the ship pines and a 30-year-old firmed cases and MSC
"liasing with a number of Meanwhile, passengers was refused entry at ports female passenger from Cruises said the crew mem-
airlines to secure onward on another vessel at the in Grand Cayman and Ja- France. MSC said in a state- ber had only common sea-
travel for guests." Mexican island of Cozumel maica. ment that the two passen- sonal flu, had been placed
"It is our opinion that this is faced yet another day in But Alejandra Aguirre, the gers were now symptom- in isolation and had "nearly
an overreaction by the Do- which they weren't allowed health secretary of the free and the ship would re- recovered."q

UN rights chief regrets Sri Lanka withdrawal from resolution

By KRISHAN FRANCIS has still not addressed im- trials against alleged per-
Associated Pres punity for past violations, petrators.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) nor undertaken the secu- The council has since giv-
— The United Nations’ hu- rity sector reforms needed en Sri Lanka two two-year
man rights chief expressed to address their drivers and extensions to implement
regret Thursday over the enablers,” Bachelet said. the resolution.
Sri Lankan government’s She said systemic prob- Sri Lankan Foreign Minister
decision to withdraw its lems with the criminal jus- Dinesh Gunawardena on
co-sponsorship of a 2015 tice system remain an im- Wednesday announced
resolution backing an in- pediment to real justice. the country’s formal with-
vestigation into alleged Sri Lanka co-sponsored a drawal from the resolution.
human rights violations resolution in 2015 along “Constitutionally, the reso-
during the country’s civil with 11 other countries, in- lution seeks to cast upon
war. cluding the United States, Sri Lanka obligations that
Michelle Bachelet told the Britain, Australia and Ger- In this Dec. 9, 2019 file photo, U.N. High Commissioner for cannot be carried out
U.N. Human Rights Council many, calling for an inves- Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks at the COP25 Climate within its constitutional
in Geneva that the deci- tigation into the alleged summit in Madrid, Spain. framework and it infring-
sion risks setting back ef- rights violations by both Associated Press es the sovereignty of the
forts for postwar reconcili- government forces and 2009. reportedly went missing in people of Sri Lanka and
ation. the now-defeated ethnic The resolution also called the war and obtaining the violates the basic structure
“The fundamental prob- Tamil rebels in the island’s for providing answers on support of international of the constitution,” Gu-
lem remains that Sri Lanka civil war, which ended in the fate of thousands who prosecutors and judges in nawardena said. q