Six thousand people kept aboard a cruise ship in Italy have been allowed off the vessel after health officials announced a Chinese passenger with symptoms of coronavirus had tested negative, the BBC reported Thursday.
The 54-year-old, as well as her husband, were held in isolation on the ship but tests confirmed she was not infected, the news outlet reported.
The Costa Smeralda cruise ship, which set sail Saturday, docked in the port of Civitavecchia, Italy, on Wednesday, north of Rome. The woman who was suspected of being infected had reportedly flown from Hong Kong to join the cruise and spiked a fever while on board.
The mayor of the town had asked authorities to prevent passengers from disembarking until it had been confirmed the virus was not present, Reuters reported.
"There is no tension," Adriano Pavan, the father of a passenger on board with two children, told Reuters. "They [my relatives] have eaten, everything works, they should have been able to leave the ship, but they cannot."
The BBC reported samples were taken to Rome's Spallanzani hospital, which specializes in infectious diseases, and returned negative, Italy's health ministry said, the BBC reported.
Passengers began getting off late Thursday, local time, the BBC reported.
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