Minister of Health, Donville Inniss??

A single crew member of the cruise ship Carnival Victory, now docked at the Bridgetown Port, has been placed under strict quarantine on board the vessel, after exhibiting symptoms of influenza.

The Ministry of Health has already sent a sample swab to the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), in Trinidad and Tobago for further testing to determine if it is the A (H1N1) virus.Four teams of medical personnel were on hand to thoroughly screen all disembarking passengers for symptoms of the influenza.

Only passengers and crew, given the all clear, were authorized to disembark the vessel.Officials of the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal Inc. have confirmed that at no time was the Bridgetown Port closed, but that strict health procedures for managing such situations were fully activated, which resulted in some delay in passengers disembarking.

We continue to remain on full alert and encourage Barbadians to practise basic hygienic measures.

The Ministries of Health and International Transport will continue to work collaboratively to ensure that the health and safety of frontline personnel at the island???s ports of entry, and Barbadians in general, are not compromised.

We are urging the public to continue to go about their business as usual, since they will not be in contact with the affected crew member.

The vessel arrived this morning with 3,000 passengers on board.

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