The Centre said international cruise ships with a travel history to coronavirus-hit countries post-February 1 will not be allowed entry to any Indian port till March 31 next.
Any international cruise ship or any member of its crew or any passenger therein having a travel history of visiting any of the Covid-19 affected countries since February 1, 2020, will not be permitted to enter any Indian port till March 31, 2020, the ministry of shipping stated on Wednesday.
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“Only those international cruise ships which had planned and intimated their call to an Indian port not later than 1st January 2020 will be allowed to call on such port,” it added.
Moreover, the ministry of shipping also stated that international cruise ships will be allowed only on the ports having thermal screening facilities for passengers and crew.
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If any passengers/crew members of the cruise ships show symptoms of the disease, disembarking of such passengers/crew will not be permitted, the ministry said.
“Samples of the patient will be collected and sent to designated hospital/lab for testing. If sample is tested positive, the passenger will be taken to the isolation facility attached to the Port and the ship will be asked to move out. If sample is negative, the passengers and crew will be allowed shore excursion,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the country has risen to 60 on Wednesday.
Eight positives cases of COVID-19 were reported from Kerala and one each from Delhi and Rajasthan.
The railway ministry has also ramped up efforts to keep the disease from spreading.
According to reports, railway officials continue to hold meetings to ensure that awareness is being spread about the disease across railway stations in the country.
The railway ministry in a statement said: “Railway hospitals have been provided with 1100 isolation beds for fever-related cases for treating suspected Coronavirus cases with the availability of necessary protective gears.”
The Indian Railways has identified 12,483 beds for quarantine at different locations across the country.