D’oh – When is an emergency travel ban not an emergency “travel ban”? When a subject of the emergency travel ban is relaxing on a Caribbean cruise with a captive audience of potential transfer carriers!…. Yea, ya’ can’t make this stuff up.
Apparently when they went looking for all of the potentially exposed healthcare workers to quarantine they’ve found a few went on vacation.
This story is evolving quickly – Despite the AP report (below) the Belizean authorities are stating the Dallas Healthcare worker is exhibiting Ebola symptoms (also below) and refusing port entry for emergency airlift evacuation. Armed Coast Guard vessels are forcing the Carnival Magic Cruise Ship to remain at sea. This is quickly becoming an international incident. There are 3,652 passengers on board and a total population of 4,633 souls at risk. “The Ebola Cruise” !
Update #2: Channel 7 news anchor Indira Craig has posted on her Facebook page that Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow in a callous move in view of very close Belize-U.S. relations, has denied entry into Belize for the stricken U.S. nationals to be air lifted to the U.S.A. for treatment:
“Talks have concluded with the PM and The US State Department officials. Belize WILL NOT BE GRANTING ACCESS to the suspected passengers to have entry onto our shores.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama administration officials say a Dallas health care worker who handled a lab specimen from an Ebola-infected man from Liberia -who died of the disease- is on a Caribbean cruise ship where she has self-quarantined and is is being monitored for any signs of infection.
The officials say the woman has shown no signs of the disease and has been asymptomatic for 17 days. The government is working to return the woman and her husband to the U.S. before the ship completes its cruise. The officials say the State Department is working with a country they won’t identify to secure their transportation home.
The officials were not authorized to be named and requested anonymity. (link)
UPDATE: 3:00am Reports tonight are that two individuals possibly infected with the Ebola virus are in Belizean waters. Local TV station Channel 7 monitored in the capital City Of Belmopan tonight, reported having credible reports that a couple from a Texas-based cruise ship presently anchored off Belize City, is on a ship tender, unable to return to the cruise ship, while being refused entry to Belize City to catch an air ambulance awaiting at the International Airport to take them to the their country of origin, the U.S.A.
The television station in its broadcast tonight said Belize health authorities contacted tonight have so far refused to deny or confirm the report. The patient exhibiting Ebola symptoms has been confirmed to be a nurse at a Dallas hospital traveling with her husband.
Later tonight in breaking news, Channel 5 Belize reported that it has:
“Confirmed with representatives of the Ministry of Health that they have indeed received a report that there is at least one passenger on board the cruise ship, Carnival Magic, showing symptoms similar to that of the Ebola virus. According to the report made to MOH, the person exhibiting the symptoms did not come ashore today. The ship is reportedly carrying 3652 passengers and a total population of 4633 persons.
“The Carnival Magic departed from Galveston Texas on Sunday, October 12 arrived in Mahogany Bay, Honduras on Wednesday October 15 and arrived in Belize this morning, Thursday October 16.
“The ship was scheduled to leave Belize en route to Cozumel this evening at 5pm. However, it is still anchored in Belizean waters near State Bank Caye.”
“We have also have confirmed that the Belize Coast Guard has been deployed to prevent anyone from leaving the ship; including the Belizean pilot on board.” (read more)
Meanwhile President Obama refuses West African travel ban….
U.S. monitors health care worker on cruise ship who handled Ebola victim specimen, says she poses no risk: http://t.co/SYQletglq1
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 17, 2014