Due to the Coronavirus outbreak in China, the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has imposed travel restrictions on cargo ships coming from China, with the Chinese crew not being allowed to do shore visits.
Similarly, crew members who had visited China in the last one month are also restricted. Also, ships coming from China, but not having a Chinese crew, are being screened using thermal scanners for symptoms and allowed to come on shore only if they do not have any sickness. Besides, to avoid spread of the virus, the immigration bureau has suspended all e-visas issued to people coming from China to India and MbPT has been informed about it, said an official.
MbPT Chairman Sanjay Bhatia speaking to the Free Press Journal commented: “Government of India has prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP) and we are implementing it thoroughly. All cargo crew are being separately monitored. The public health officer (PHO) boards the ship with a mask and checks if any passenger has a health problem, especially anyone coming from China or has travelled to China in the last 15 days. They are being monitored.”
As per MbPT, till date, 119 crew members on cargo vessels and over 5,000 passengers on cruise ships were screened by PHO. Moreover, another official from MbPT said that usually a cruise ship gives its itinerary well in advance. Thus, no cruise ships are coming from China or via China to Mumbai. However, cargo ships, which are not necessarily coming from China, are also being regularly monitored as a precautionary measure.
MbPT is also ensuring that there is a proper disposal management of sewage and garbage in ships coming from other countries. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus was also detected in the loose stool of the first patient in the US infected with the virus. Moreover, scientists have discovered that fecal samples from patients infected with the novel Coronavirus have also tested positive for the virus, and there is a possibility that the live virus can exist and spread through contaminated fecal matter.
