An Italian woman who was aboard the Costa Luminosa cruise that left Fort Lauderdale is being treated in Puerto Rico and tested as the first suspected case of coronavirus on the island.
The 68-year-old woman, who is from the northern region of Italy, is in isolation in a hospital in Puerto Rico after arriving on a cruise ship, Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced announced Sunday night.
“We are asking people to stay calm. We do not want this to become a hysteria,” the governor said during a news conference. “It’s being handled as a suspicious case. Let’s take it easy.”
The woman was traveling with her husband, who has shown no symptoms thus far. She is in isolation while waiting results of a COVID-19 test that was sent to the CDC in Atlanta. The results are expected to be ready in 24 hours, Vázquez Garced said.
The woman began to feel ill while she was at sea.
“This person, apparently, during the trajectory already near Puerto Rico, had symptoms of pneumonia,” the governor said.
According to the protocol established by the Department of Health, with the advice of federal authorities, any test to detect COVID-19 has to be processed by the CDC in Atlanta.
The Puerto Rican governor said government officials decided to hold the news conference to present the information clearly and avoid rumors or panic on the island.
“[The woman] has symptoms similar to pneumonia. But as it is our responsibility to take care of the citizens, we will take the samples to rule out a case of coronavirus,” Vázquez Garced said.
The State Department issued a warning urging people, particularly older adults and those with chronic conditions, to stop all travel on cruise ships. Washington, the state with the most confirmed coronavirus cases, have asked their citizens to avoid gathering in large groups if it is not necessary.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had confirmed 106,893 cases of Covid-19 in 103 countries and territories as of 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday. Worldwide, about 3,639 deaths have been reported.
Vázquez Garced said the Caribbean island government took additional measures to control the entry of cruise passengers with symptoms during the outbreak.
“As of today, any cruise ship, any passenger ship that arrives or intends to enter Puerto Rico, San Juan Bay or any port the Ports and Tourism Authority has jurisdiction over must notify the government before entering the Bay if they have any sick person who has the symptoms of coronavirus: fever, respiratory distress, people with cough and those who come, obviously, from the countries that we know and that are highly suspicious,″ Vázquez Garced said.
The governor said “we hope that this case is finally ruled out as a case of coronavirus, but it helped this task force adjust to situations that may arise as a result of the different cruises that come to Puerto Rico.”
