Passengers gather on decks of the Westerdam cruise ship at southwest Cambodia's seaport of Sihanoukville on Feb. 14, 2020. (Photo by Li Lay/Xinhua)
The last batch of 233 passengers on board the Westerdam cruise ship were allowed to disembark after they tested negative for COVID-19.
Cambodia allowed the Westerdam to dock at its seaport of Sihanoukville on Feb. 13 after the cruise ship had been denied entry to port by Thailand, Japan, China's Taiwan, Guam and the Philippines due to fears over the COVID-19.
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Wednesday allowed the remaining 233 passengers on board the Westerdam cruise ship to disembark after test results showed that none of them was positive for the COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the country's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that lab tests on the Westerdam cruise ship passengers remaining in the kingdom had ended, and the results showed that none of them was positive for the COVID-19.
"The samples of 781 Westerdam cruise ship passengers in Sihanoukville and in Phnom Penh had been tested (by the Pasteur Institute) and the results were negative for the COVID-19," the ministry said in a statement.
Cambodian Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol and Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line, the ship operator, flew from capital Phnom Penh to greet the last batch of 233 passengers at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS) in southwestern Sihanoukville when they left the ship.
Passengers leave the Westerdam cruise ship at southwest Cambodia's seaport of Sihanoukville on Feb. 14, 2020. (Photo by Li Lay/Xinhua)
Speaking to reporters at the site, Chanthol said the passengers will travel to Phnom Penh for flights home, as the ship, with remaining 747 crew on board, will depart for Manila, the Philippines later.
"This is the last batch of 233 passengers who disembarked the ship. They will travel by buses to Sokha Hotel in Phnom Penh, and tomorrow, they will fly to their respective countries," he said.
Cambodia allowed the Westerdam, which had been denied entry to port by Thailand, Japan, China's Taiwan, Guam and the Philippines due to fears over the COVID-19, to dock at its seaport of Sihanoukville on Feb. 13 and passengers had been allowed to disembark on Feb. 14 after 20 ill passengers had tested negative for the virus.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen speaks as he greets passengers onboard the Westerdam cruise ship at southwest Cambodia's seaport of Sihanoukville on Feb. 14, 2020. (Photo by Li Lay/Xinhua)
"We're thankful to the Cambodian government, the prime minister, and all the citizens of Cambodia for their warm welcome and allowing us to come here and dock, and allowing their safe transition home," said Holland America Line President Ashford.
"Personally, I'm going to come back with my family to spend some time here to get a chance to explore and enjoy Cambodia's hospitality," he said.
The last-batch disembarkation came after the Ministry of Health said lab tests on the remaining Westerdam passengers in Cambodia showed that none of them was positive for the COVID-19.
The ministry statement said the tests had been done by the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia in close cooperation with the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Westerdam cruise ship docks at southwest Cambodia's sea port of Sihanoukville on Feb. 14, 2020. (Photo by Li Lay/Xinhua)
"The health of all passengers has no remarkable issue and is normal, and no one has increasing body temperature," the statement said.
"Based on the results, the Ministry of Health and the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Health Department have been cooperating with relevant national and international institutions to help all the remaining passengers to catch flights to their home countries," it said.
Cambodia had provided retests to those remaining passengers after a passenger who had left Cambodia had been tested positive for COVID-19 while transiting in Malaysia.
A helicopter is used to carry the specimens of ill passengers on the Westerdam cruise ship in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia on Feb. 13, 2020. (Photo by Li Lay/Xinhua)
Malaysian health authorities identified her as an 83-year-old American. She is currently in stable condition, and her husband tested negative for the virus.
The Holland America Line said in a press release on Wednesday that the Westerdam will remain alongside in Sihanoukville for at least a few more days until testing is complete on the 747 crew members on board.
The cruise ship departed from China's Hong Kong on Feb. 1, carrying a total of 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members. ■
