Falkland Islands Refuse Cruise Ship Docking Over Virus Outbreak

The Falkland Islands off Argentina have been the target of recent scrutiny after refusing to permit a cruise ship with a stomach flu outbreak to dock. There were numerous passenger complaints about missed travel arrangements and onlookers believe Island officials may have overreacted.

According to The Associated Press, tourists on board the Star Princess were in forced to cancel long-awaited planned trips. The British territory’s defense for entry refusal was that any outbreak could “strain” the archipelago’s medical assets. A total of 74 passengers and crew out of 3,500 were reported infected with norovirus, with only 20 having extreme symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea.

The Falklands’ chief medical officer stated that the decision was made based on the better interest of the public and tourism industry, especially with the limited local medical resources and other scheduled cruise visits.

Although norovirus is contagious and spreads rapidly, other medical experts are calling this decision over the top. Princess Cruises believe it was absolutely unjustified.

The Star Princess On Route in 2010

The Centers for Disease Control report about a dozen annual outbreaks of the virus on cruise ships worldwide. However, they never advise that ships cannot dock, but instead may issue a no sail order. This particular ship has not even had any documented outbreaks since 2003. Even if the ship had been allowed to dock in the Falklands, experts weren't sure the infected passengers would have spread the virus very far.

Britain’s Health Protection Agency advised that passengers should have been isolated until symptoms passed, with stricter instructions for ship personnel. Instead of being stopped from docking, certain ship and port measures could have been taken.