Cruise

ship MV Caribbean Princess was denied entry to Barbados on Saturday because of

an outbreak of gastroenteritis aboard.

The

sea liner was scheduled to berth at Bridgetown Port Sunday morning with more

than 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members.

However,

according to Barbados’ chief medical officer, Dr Kenneth George, a number of

reports were received by the Ministry of Health and Wellness of “significant

outbreak” of gastroenteritis on the ship.

George

said a report from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) was among those

that were received.

According

to George, the decision was taken to deny the cruise ship access, in keeping

with guidelines of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and “as

a matter of caution” in protecting both the passengers and the people of

Barbados.

MV Caribbean Princess is the second cruise ship to be denied entry at a Caribbean island’s port in just a week. Last weekend, the AIDAperla was not allowed to berth at ports in at least three Caribbean countries, because of coronavirus fears.