Coronavirus: Myanmar bars entry of cruise ship

YANGON, Myanmar

Myanmar has refused the entry of a tourist cruise ship in the country’s commercial capital out of fear of the coronavirus epidemic, which has a large presence in Southeast Asia.

Myanmar, which to date has no confirmed case of coronavirus, was a scheduled four-day stopover for The Silver Spirit, operated by Bahamas-based Silver Sea Cruises, in Yangon, but the government on Monday reversed the permission to dock.

Khin Khin Gyi, deputy director at the Health and Sports Ministry, said the decision was made at an emergency meeting held in the capital Nay Pyi Taw late Sunday.

“The main reason is that the cruise ship stopped in several countries with confirmed coronavirus cases,” she told Anadolu Agency by phone on Monday.

The ship, carrying 485 tourists from 22 countries and over 350 crew members, last stopped at the Thai resort island of Phuket.

Myanmar has examined 45 suspected cases, but none has tested positive for the virus, the ministry said on Sunday.