COVID-19: 145 Indian crew from German cruise ship to be in quarantine at Mumbai

The government on Thursday said 145 Indian crew disembarked at Mumbai Port from a German cruise ship will continue to be in quarantine in Mumbai till their COVID-19 tests come negative.

After the issuance of the standard operative procedure (SOP) by the Ministry of Home Affairs for sign-on and sign-off of Indian seafarers, 145 Indian crew of German cruise lines have been able to disembark on Mumbai Port on Thursday, the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.

"The crew will continue to be in quarantine in Mumbai until their test reports come negative," the ministry said.

Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) facilitated the disembarkation of Indian crew by following stringent health check-ups in three stages, it said, adding elaborate health check-up facilities were arranged at berth.

"Port Health Officers assisted by MbPT doctors & medics formed the first stage. In the Second stage, the crew were checked and stamped by MCGM health authorities for 14-day home quarantine. In the third and most critical stage, the swab of all disembarking crew was collected for testing," the statement said.

Thereafter the usual processes of custom, immigration, security and port clearance were completed with all PPE & social-distancing norms, it added.

The government has come out with guidelines for change of crew at Indian ports, a move that will put an end to hardships faced by stuck seafarers and pave way for them to return to their homes.

Under the standard operating procedure (SOP), any seafarer would be allowed sign-on or sign-off at ports after tests for COVID-19 is found negative, failing which action as per guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare would be taken.