A suspected cholera outbreak aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn stranded more than 3,000 people off the East African island of Mauritius. For passengers, the end of their involuntary stopover is now in sight.
Mauritius, an East African island nation, permitted the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn to port in its capital, Port Louis, on Monday after detecting no evidence of cholera on board.
The first passengers were scheduled to disembark on Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. local time. This comes after the voyage from South Africa to Mauritius, via Madagascar and La Réunion, was delayed involuntarily.
More than 3,000 people, including 2,000 guests and 1,000 staff members, were trapped on a cruise ship near Mauritius due to fears of a cholera outbreak.
Following a number of gastrointestinal problems aboard the Norwegian Dawn, authorities in Mauritius originally refused to allow the ship to dock in the capital, Port Louis, on Sunday.
Previously, the French island of Reunion turned the ship away, prompting the shipping company to postpone the planned stop and go directly to Mauritius. The Mauritius Port Authority stated that the Norwegian Dawn arrived in Mauritius approximately 18:00 on Saturday evening.
Norwegian Cruise Line, based in the United States, has revealed that a small number of guests on the Norwegian Dawn encountered moderate stomach illness during the ship’s 12-day journey.
According to Mauritius officials, at least 14 passengers and one staff member are experiencing diarrhoea and vomiting. They have been isolated in their rooms. On Sunday morning, health officials obtained samples from approximately 15 persons on board.
The Norwegian Dawn, built in 2002 at the German Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Lower Saxony, can carry up to 2,340 passengers and 1,032 crew members, according to the cruise line.
The majority of the 2,184 passengers were scheduled to begin their journey home on Sunday. At the same time, the port authority said that 2,279 more passengers were scheduled to board the ship in Port Louis. There are also 1,026 crew members aboard the ship.
Southern Africa is undergoing a severe cholera outbreak. By mid-January, there had been over 200,000 cases of the sickness and over 3,000 deaths reported in the 13 nations impacted, with Mauritius on high alert due to cases in the Comoros.
