British Cruise Ship With COVID-19 Cases Docks in Cuban Port

On Wednesday morning, the British cruise ship MS Braemar,  operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, docked at the port of Mariel, in the province of Artemis, with five positive cases of the new coronavirus among its 682 passengers and 381 crew members. 

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Update: British Cruise Ship With COVID-19 Cases to Dock in Cuba

Around 13:00 (local time) passengers will start disembarking at the port, national media reported.

Health authorities on the Caribbean island recently announced that Cuba has the necessary resources to transfer passengers to José Martí International Airport in Havana.

The more than 1,000 crew members will travel back to the United Kingdom on four charter flights. Those infected will be transferred on the last of the planes.

"We can confirm that all four planes have landed in Cuba and Braemar is now alongside in the Port of Mariel." the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines just confirmed on its Twitter account.

The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary expressed his gratitude to Cuba before the British Parliament for authorizing the docking of the ship MS Braemar. 

"Once again, in a disinterested manner, Cuba fulfills the elemental duty of providing aid and solidarity to those who need it," Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra said on his Twitter account.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla announced on Monday that he was willing to receive the cruise ship of the Fred Olsen line in his territorial waters after multiple Caribbean countries denied him help for bringing in infected passengers and about 40 under suspicion.