MONTEVIDEO, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The Uruguayan government announced on Friday that it will create a humanitarian corridor to evacuate 112 passengers from the cruise ship "Greg Mortimer," as many of the passengers have contracted the COVID-19.

Australian and New Zealander passengers on the ship, which has been anchored for days off the Uruguayan coast, will be transferred from the port to the Carrasco International Airport for a flight to Australia. The flight will be specially equipped with medical personnel on board to deal with any health emergencies.

The cruise ship is scheduled to dock at the port of Montevideo on Friday evening, after which the passengers will disembark and be transferred by bus to the air terminal, where they will board a flight scheduled to leave early Saturday morning.

The cruise ship has 128 passengers and 83 crew members on board as of Monday, and Uruguayan authorities reported that they assumed the majority of the ship's occupants had been infected by the coronavirus.

Eight people on the ship who were in poor health have been evacuated over the last few days and are currently being treated in hospitals in Montevideo.

As of Thursday night, Uruguay has reported 473 cases of COVID-19, with seven deaths. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)