The Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services would like to provide information to the general public in relation to the Carnival Cruise Ship Horizon, which docked in the TCI on Wednesday, 04 March 2020.
The Carnival ship which arrived at the Port in Grand Turk was not denied entry by other countries prior to arrival in TCI as Grand Turk was the second port of call. The bypassing of two ports was due to itinerary changes by Carnival in response to policy changes by several Caribbean countries. The company expressed this in a statement issued earlier in the week.
The ship was only granted permission to dock after meeting the expanded protocols put in place by TCIG, as set out by International Health Regulations (IHR). The Ministry of Health announced these expanded measures for all air and sea ports in our press release on Monday, 02 March 2020.
All ships entering the TCI are boarded by the Environmental Health Department, Immigration Department and Customs Department who do a thorough review of the ships documents, which they are mandated to provide. If additional information is required, the lead department will request same prior to passengers disembarking.
The country can rest assured that all measures are in place to protect the TCI population especially the people of Grand Turk as it relates to the Cruise Ship Industry. However, the protection of the nation is the business of everyone, in particular as it relates to being responsible residents and citizens, and sharing factual information. We encourage everyone to seek credible sources of information such as the Ministry of Health and to share all communications from the Ministry of Health and other public agencies.
We remind the public that if you need additional information regarding protecting yourself and reducing the risk of COVID-19, please contact either of our COVID-19 hotlines for accurate information and advice. The numbers are (649) 338-0911 and (649) 232-9444.
