Gibraltar border closed as Aurora docks
Spain has reportedly closed its border with Gibraltar after the Aurora docked there with around 500 sick passengers on board.
As reported by News From Abroad, hundreds of people were taken ill during the luxury cruise on the P&O ship, and some passengers were refused permission to leave the ship when it docked at Dubrovnik, Croatia, last week. At least 500 people are believed to have the bug, which causes chronic diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
According to the online news provider Ananova, the Gibraltar government says this is the first time the border has been closed since 1969. A spokesman reportedly said: “Spanish police with guns are at the border and it is closed. The last time this happened was in 1969 under Franco, when he was planning to take over Gibraltar. It is completely unjustified on medical grounds and we believe the Spanish government know that.”
The ship is due to leave Gibraltar tonight and should arrive back in Southampton on Thursday. David Dingle, managing director of P&O, said: “At the moment we have greatly reduced the number of people that have the virus and we can safely say we have arrested it. The mood is good and upbeat and they are looking forward to their full day in Gibraltar.”
One medical expert, Dr Thomas Stuttaford, writing in The Times, said there should be no rush to blame P&O for the outbreak. He said: “Aurora is a new ship and its facilities are good. It only takes one waiter or chef to be serving cold food with the virus on his hands, for it to become established. Once it is established it will spread like wildfire. Don’t blame P&O; the Queen’s household at Sandringham had similar troubles a few years ago.”
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