7 News Belize

Cruisers Coming Home?
posted (May 8, 2020)
Those dozens of Belizeans who are stuck on the cruise ships where they worked might be the first to come home. The Prime Minister says they may be accepted later this month - if the cruise lines foot the bill for their local quarantine:

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"We have receive reports that at least one of the cruise lines Carnival I believe will be going to different ports in the region to drop off employees at those countries. Is this something the government is aware of that any ship may be heading into Belizean waters for any such purpose?"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"In terms of the cruise ships we have indeed received 2 requests; one from Carnival and one from Royal Caribbean cruise lines for the repatriation of Belizean crew members with respect to both companies. I think Carnival is asking is they could be allowed to bring back these Belizeans on the 19th of this month and Royal Caribbean is asking for the 23rd of this month. So we are prepared to allow them to bring back the Belizean crew on condition that they will pay for the mandatory quarantining of those crew members. So we are not prepared to say to Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruise lines that you can come on the dates you've asked for with the expectation that government will pay for the quarantining of the crew members. If we said to them you are prepared to pay for that quarantining then we can in fact, we can make arrangements with private hotels and guest houses so that we can designate those individual private guest houses and hotels official quarantine facilities, because they can be ready far quicker than we can be with the public quarantine facilities if the 2 cruise lines are prepared to pay."

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7 News Belize