Laurence Dollimore
THE MSC Grandiosa cruise ship brought 3,000 travellers from Italy to Mallorca on Monday, it has been revealed.
The tourists had come from Palermo and were permitted to disembark from the ship and visit Palma ‘without restrictions’.
It came despite the fact that air travel had been suspended to Italy over the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The ship arrived at around 8am and docked at the Ponent de Palma until 7pm before setting sail for Barcelona, according to Diario de Mallorca.
The passengers had their temperatures taken before going ashore to visit the capital.
They reportedly told locals they had left Barcelona and visited several Italian cities before arriving in Palma.
The stop off has caused outrage among anti-cruise ship campaigners, who demanded ‘clarity and responsibility’.
“It is very difficult to explain why the authorities are allowing the disembarkation of passengers from this country,” the Platform against mega-cruises said.
Only one company, Italian Costa Cruises, has cancelled its departures until April 3.
Health authorities on the island said the medical services and controls on the ships were suffice and that the Port Authority was controlling the situation.
