HAVANA : In a humanitarian response to a horrific dilemma, atuthorities in Cuba allowed a British, ship turned away by several countries for having Covid-infected passengers, to dock iat its harbour. The cruise ship ,M. S. Braemar, had at least six passengers confirmed with the virus, while 43 others, including 21 crew members, are in isolation after displaying flu-like symptoms.
Braemar earlier approached several friendly nations to disembark its people but was put off owing citing Covid fears. As a result, it lay stranded in in high seas well over two days now. Desperate, the British govt then appealed to Cuba, where authorities signaled their nod without hesitation.
The circular released by Cuban External Affairs Ministry said, “Taking into account urgency of the situation and the risk to lives of sick people, we permit the ship to dock iat our port. We come resurrected from revolutionary values. To combat this global disaster, we must all stand in solidarity and acknowlede that health is right of every human.”
There are 600 passengers aboard the ship. Most of them are British citizens. Those without symptoms of Covid shall be flown to their home countries shortly. Cuba has so far confirmed four cases of Covid-19 while several remain under monitoring.
