Two MSC passengers positive for Covid-19, confirms Health Minister
All passengers aboard the MSC Orchestra on February 28 and on March 13, must urgently get in touch with a medical health professional.
Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize has urged all passengers who were on board the MSC Orchestra when it departed from Durban harbour, both on February 28 and on March 13, to get in touch with a medical health professional in order to be screened for Covid-19.
During his live address to the nation this evening (March 31), Dr Mkhize confirmed two passengers who had embarked on luxury cruises aboard the MSC ship have tested positive for the coronavirus.
One of the passengers who tested positive is a Free State man who was on the cruise to the Portuguese Islands, which departed on February 28 and returned on March 2, the other a Newcastle woman who was on the cruise also to the Portuguese Islands, which departed on March 13 and returned on March 16.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Newcastle woman tests positive for Covid-19 at private lab
When the Newcastle Advertiser broke the story on March 23, MSC Cruises Chief Executive Officer, Ross Volk said he was unaware of a former passenger testing positive for Covid-19, but commented the company would co-operate fully with the Department of Health if it was to be contacted in this regard.
Further attempts to contact MSC, following Government’s attempt to track down passengers who were on the respective cruises, were fruitless. However, this evening Dr Mkhize stated he had approached the port manager and the owner of the cruise liner, to obtain the information necessary to track down everyone who was on the cruise, and that the managers and operators of the ship were co-operating with health officials.
“We do understand it’s been a while since they [the passengers] actually disembarked but nevertheless, we think it is important for us to just have a sense of their whereabouts. We want to make sure we can track all the individuals in case they did experience symptoms. It is important for us to go through this process just to close that whole chapter,” said Dr Mkhize. “Passengers, who were on the cruises which departed on February 28 and on March 13, need to approach their medical doctors or Government public facilities to be able to be screened properly. We also just want to get a history of what has happened, if they have had symptoms and so on. That is important.”
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