Coronavirus: Egypt says Nile River cruise ship quarantined over new virus cluster
- Health authorities first found that a dozen of the ship’s Egyptian crew members had contracted the fast-spreading virus
A cruise ship on Egypt’s Nile River with over 150 tourists and local crew was in quarantine Saturday in the southern city of Luxor, and 45 people on board tested positive for the new coronavirus, authorities said.
A Taiwanese-American tourist who had previously been on the same ship tested positive when she returned to Taiwan. The World Health Organisation informed Egyptian authorities, who then tested everyone on the ship.
Health authorities first found that a dozen of the ship’s Egyptian crew members had contracted the fast-spreading virus, and said they did not show symptoms, according to a joint statement from Egypt’s Health Ministry and the WHO on Friday.
The statement said the 12 would be transferred to isolation in a hospital on Egypt’s north coast. The passengers – who include Americans, French and other nationalities – and the crew remained quarantined on the ship awaiting further test results.
At a news conference in Cairo later Saturday, Health Minister Hala Zayed said 33 others tested positive for the virus. Of the total 45 infected passengers and crew, 19 are foreigners, officials said. Health minister Zayed did not elaborate on the nationalities of the non-Egyptians.
