14 Dutch on cruise ship denied entry to Mauritius over potential cholera outbreak

A cruise ship with about 2,200 passengers and 1,000 crew on board has been anchored in the Indian Ocean since Saturday. Mauritius, the ship’s destination, denied the cruise entry due to a potential cholera outbreak on board. At least 14 passengers are Dutch, AD reports.

It concerns the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn sailing from Cape Town, South Africa, to Mauritius. The passengers were due to disembark in Mauritius on Sunday but are still floating about 5 kilometers off the coast of Port Louis, the island’s capital, according to the newspaper.

At least 14 passengers and one crew member have diarrhea and vomiting, the authorities said. They are isolated in their rooms, and the ship is officially in quarantine.

Esther Verdaas, a Dutch passenger on board with her family, confirmed the situation. “The only thing we have been told is that we will definitely not be allowed to disembark until February 27,” she told the newspaper. “But that could take longer. Because someone on board may have cholera, and if the culture indeed shows that on the 27th, another ten days could be added.

On Sunday, all passengers received a letter from the shipping company speaking of “unforeseen circumstances” resulting in the Mauritius authorities not allowing the cruise ship to dock. The letter says that it will “probably” dock on Tuesday. A planned stop in Reunion on the way to Mauritius was canceled.

Captain Roger Borg told the passengers that there may have been a cholera outbreak in South Africa and Zimbabwe, and the Mauritius authorities worry that someone on board the Norwegian Dawn has the disease. “They sprayed and vacuumed everywhere here yesterday,” Verdaas said. “The staff is nervous, and we have been instructed to wash our hands more than usual and to observe hygiene regulations.”

Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Ltd., the owner of the Norwegian Dawn, told USA Today that the government of Mauritius postponed the disembarkation for the current cruise and the embarkation of the next cruise until Tuesday because the “local authorities require additional testing.”