Coronavirus: 781 Westerdam cruise passengers test negative in Cambodia
- The remaining group of passengers in Cambodia have no ‘health-related problems at all’, a government spokesperson said
- Meanwhile, passengers who have been given the all-clear say they are struggling to get home, with many countries blocking their transit
Nearly 800 passengers from the MS Westerdam cruise ship remaining in Cambodia have tested negative for the coronavirus, the country’s health ministry said on Wednesday.
Spokeswoman Or Vandine said the ministry was waiting on additional lab results for other passengers, but did not say how many tests were pending.
The 781 passengers – some on the ship and others staying in a Phnom Penh hotel – who tested negative for the Covid-19 disease did not have “health-related problems at all”, she said.
The Westerdam was stranded at sea for two weeks after five ports turned it away for fear of infections on board, until Cambodia granted it permission to dock on February 13. After an initial testing of 20 samples suggested there was no evidence of the Covid-19 disease on board, passengers started disembarking the next day.