Virus fears spark violent protests against cruise ship passengers
The usual warm welcome was in short supply for passengers of the Sun Princess when they disembarked on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.
A bus carrying cruisers from the ship was pelted with bottles and stones from protestors fearful of an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
Dozens of protestors were trying desperately to stop the cruisers reaching the mainland over coronavirus fears.
Although the Sun Princess is a sister ship to the infamous Diamond Princess, no cases of coronavirus have been reported.
The protestors were angered by the government refusing to take temperature readings for the visiting tourists and tried to block the port gates.
Police responded with volleys of tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Reunion Island has not reported any cases of coronavirus so far.
"Of course we are not against the arrival of tourists in Reunion, they are necessary for the development of our economy," protestor Yannis Latchimy told local media.
"We just want to be sure that there is no risk of the spread of the coronavirus."
The Diamond Princess was placed in quarantine off Japan last month and eventually infected more than 700, resulting in six deaths.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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