HONG KONG (Reuters) – Thousands of passengers and crew on a cruise ship that docked in Hong Kong on Wednesday were being kept on board while they were tested for a coronavirus as the city government said that all visitors from mainland China would be quarantined for two weeks.
The former British colony saw its first death from the coronavirus virus on Tuesday. It has confirmed 21 cases, with many that were transmitted locally, authorities said.
Hong Kong health workers have been on strike this week to demand that city authorities seal the border with China, where the virus originated last month, to block its spread.
The cruise ship, World Dream, operated by Dream Cruises, docked in Hong Kong after it was denied entry to the Taiwan port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday.
Three mainland Chinese who had been on board from Jan. 19 to Jan. 24 were found to have had the virus, Hong Kong’s health department said, adding that most of those remaining on board were from Hong Kong. Some crew had reported symptoms including fever, health officials said.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that Hong Kong’s two cruise terminals, Kai Tak and Ocean Terminal, would suspend operations immediately, while all visitors from mainland China would face compulsory quarantine.
“These measures are s