A cruise ship with nearly 300 passengers and crew was ordered quarantined in the Caribbean port of St. Lucia – after a case of measles was confirmed on board, island health officials said Wednesday.
The St. Lucia Online News said in a report, that one female crew member has a confirmed case and St. Lucian authorities were quoted as saying that they’ve been working in close consultation with the Pan American Health Organization and Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
The ship has been under quarantine since Monday morning, officials said.
St. Lucian health officials declined to name the ship involved.
However St. Lucia Coast Guard Sgt. Victor Theodore said the name of vessel involved “Free-winds,” which is the name of a 440-foot cruise ship owned and operated by the Church of Scientology.
Theodore identified the quarantined craft as the same one that’s listed on the church’s website.
While no one has been allowed to leave the ship, St. Lucian authorities said they don’t have the authority to keep it from leaving.
The ship left St. Lucia at 11:59 this morning.
