BANGKOK – The Deputy Minister of Transport, Atirat Ratanasate, confirmed passengers on the Seabourn Ovation cruise ship, which has docked at the Phuket Deep Sea Port, are not among vulnerable groups, as they were thoroughly screened for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Mr. Atirat said he received reports from the Marine Department and related units that the Seabourn Ovation and the Quantum of the Seas anchored at the Phuket Deep Sea Port on Thursday morning (Feb 13). People, who had visited virus-hit areas within the 14-day quarantine period or had a body temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius or higher, were not permitted to board the cruise ships as a measure to contain its spread. The cruise ships sent health reports of their passengers and crew members to the Thai authorities. Doctors on the cruise ships filled out a survey on the COVID-19 and sent it to doctors at the Phuket Immigration Office 24 hours before the ships arrived. Public health officers at the Phuket Deep Sea Port also measured the temperature and checked the condition of all passengers and crew before leaving the ships.
The Deputy Minister of Transport insisted that the passengers on both cruise ships are not in vulnerable groups. Officials from Phuket province, the Marine Department and relevant agencies screened all passengers in accordance with standards and regulations. The Seabourn Ovation previously docked at Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laem Chabang, Ko Kut, Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi. The cruise ship will spend 10 hours in Phuket province. All passengers are from Europe.
Previously, the MS Westerdam cruise ship was not allowed to dock in Thailand, after having already been refused entry by Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. The cruise ship had passengers from China and Hong Kong.
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