A cruise ship with a COVID-19 outbreak was allowed by Mexico to dock and disembark tourists after a promise from the Mexican government to keep the country open to these vessels as long as they follow sanitary precautions.

Carrying around 2,000 people aboard, the ship, MS Zuiderdam, dropped anchor in the northern state of Sonora, in the port of Guayaman.

Mexican Government Allows COVID-19 Carrying Cruise Ships to Dock

According to PVDN, the Mexican government vowed that it would let cruise ships carrying positive coronavirus cases that ask their permission to dock as long as they follow the rules set by the World Health Organization.

The decision by the government happened in the midst of the increasing restrictions in other countries due to the new Omicron variant. The Mexican government, however, mentioned that tourists from these ships who do not present symptoms will be able to normal tourism activities with respect to basic sanitary measures.

The announcement from the government followed the refusal of two Mexican ports to allow passengers to disembark because of coronavirus cases in their ships.

The Mexican government also emphasized that people aboard that are infected with COVID-19 will be able to receive medical attention, while milder or asymptomatic cases will also be isolated from other passengers.

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The company that operates MS Zuiderdam, Holland America Line, stated that there are a few passengers and crew who have been fully vaccinated that also tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the close contacts of those people have also been quarantined.

In a report by US News, Holland America Line stated that the cruise will be returning to San Diego on January 2, following their original schedule.

In addition, Jose Luis Alomia, Sonora health minister, announced in a news conference that 30 people aboard Zuiderdam tested positive for COVID-19. Twenty-eight out of the 30 positive cases were crew members while 2 are passengers.

After the ship docked, around 400 individuals came down the vessel and went through rigorous sanitary filtration to identify suspected cases.

Mexico Determined to Keep Country Open

The Mexican government has shown determination to keep the country open amid the coronavirus pandemic. The country imposed very few restrictions on tourism because their economy majorly relies on visitors from abroad.

It can be recalled that when the pandemic first hit, several cruise ships were stuck at sea without any ports that would allow them to dock when they are carrying coronavirus cases.

Mexico is only one of the few countries globally that has no strict restrictions on travel. There are no testing requirements and wearing facemasks on visitors is not mandatory. These measures were not in place because the government believes that it is counterproductive to the economy.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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