Carnival cruise ship suspends debarkation in Long Beach as crews investigate 'medical matter’
LONG BEACH, Calif. - A Carnival cruise ship that docked in Long Beach is experiencing debarkation issues as crews onboard investigate a ‘medical matter’.
Carnival Panorama passengers arrived in Long Beach early Saturday morning after vacationing in Mexico.
Several passengers have said they’ve been waiting to disembark the ship for hours… but are still awaiting approval from local authorities.
Panorama Cruise Director, Matt Mitcham, released a statement on Facebook saying “There is a medical matter with a Carnival Panorama guest that caused authorities to suspend debarkation. The guest in question does not meet CDC criteria for coronavirus risk, but officials still have questions. Our shoreside medical team is in direct contact with authorities and we hope to debark shortly”.
“Nevertheless, based on an evaluation at a local hospital, medical authorities want to administer a COVID-19 test out of an abundance of caution,” Mitcham stated.
He says debarkation will be delayed until at least 6 p.m.
Staff are making accommodations for arriving guests buy providing lunch and a comfortable space.
He goes on to say that staff is working hard to keep all their guests informed and comfortable as they continue to investigate.