A cruise ship carrying 6,000 passengers was stranded off the coast of Italy for hours while medical workers investigated a potential case of the dangerous coronavirus 2019-nCoV onboard.
The trouble began when a 54-year-old woman from Macau, an administrative region of China that was one of the first places to which the virus spread, developed a fever and respiratory trouble, according to BBC correspondent Mark Lowen.
6,000 passengers are currently blocked on a cruise ship near port of Civitavecchia, near Rome, while a Chinese couple on board - reportedly with fever and respiratory problems - are checked for #coronavirus. The Costa Smeralda arrived from Marseille, Barcelona and Mallorca
— Mark Lowen (@marklowen) January 30, 2020
The woman was isolated for hours while medical staff worked to determine whether she was sick with 2019-nCoV or if she had just so happened to fall ill with something else while on the cruise. Meanwhile, the ship and its thousands of passengers were unable to dock — stuck in limbo with an unconfirmed viral outbreak in their midst.
Eventually, medical workers confirmed that the woman was not sick with 2019-nCoV and cleared the cruise ship, according to the Italian news agency Agenzia ANSA.
BREAKING: Italian news agency @Agenzia_Ansa reports that according to the first tests, #Coronavirus is NOT present on the cruise ship at Civitavecchia.
— Mark Lowen (@marklowen) January 30, 2020
"The situation is under control and at the moment there are no reasons for concern on board," Italian Coast Guard captain Vincenzo Leone told ANSA.
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