Coronavirus: Unions raise concerns but welcome government decision to stop cruise ship

The Medical Association of Malta and the UHM have welcomed the government’s decision to not allow the cruise liner with a confirmed case of Covid-19 in a disembarked passenger to enter the country.

Despite welcoming the decision, the unions raised some concerns, stating that the statement should have been issued by the Superintendent of Public Health.

“In such circumstances decisions must be taken and communicated by the Superintendent of Public Health,” the unions said.

It also cited its lack of reassurance in how the government said that the ship will not be allowed ‘exclusively on the occasion of today’, claiming that there is a possibility that the ship would be allowed in tomorrow.

“The Government press release confirms that the technical decision taken by the Superintendent of Public Health and her team was going to be overruled,” the statement read.

The union also said that the government’s insistence that the ship represents no risk to the Maltese population “has no scientific validity” and “represents grave irresponsibility of an unprecedented nature”.

“All the Medical experts consulted agree with the Superintendent of Public Health that there is valid justification to avoid enormous and unnecessary risk to the population,” the unions said.

The unions’ statement also said that while the government’s decision is welcomed, “there was no need for this ever even to have been considered.”

In a statement MSC cruises said that the cruise ship is now headed for the Sicilian port of Messina.

The ship, MSC Opera was scheduled to make a stopover in Malta on Saturday after its normal route was disrupted by Turkey's decision to block all cruise ships from docking in its ports.

The ship went into temporary self-quarantine in Greece but was given the all-clear by Greek health authorities to continue its journey without restrictions.

The Austrian passenger who contracted Covid-19 had disembarked last week and was diagnosed back home.

The self-quarantine ordered by the ship’s captain was a precautionary measure until health authorities gave him the all-clear.

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