LISBON, Portugal– At least 7,000 people were kept on a cruise ship by Italian authorities while they checked for possible infection of the coronavirus on Thursday.
The virus emerged from the central city of Wuhan in China, according to the Associated Press. China reported 170 deaths and at least 7,800 infections.
Italian health authorities screened 6,000 passengers, as well as 1,000 crew aboard the cruise, after a passenger from Macao came down with flu-like symptoms, according to the AP.
A 54-year-old woman, along with her partner, who had no symptoms, were immediately put into isolation on Wednesday. The case was then reported to Italian maritime authorities.
There were 10 confirmed cases of the virus in Europe, including five in France, four in Germany and one in Finland, according to the AP.
The ship sailed from Mallorca, Spain, to Civitavecchia on a weeklong Mediterranean cruise. However, no passengers were allowed off the ship for the planned walk in Rome, according to the AP.
“All the planned mechanisms were activated. Health authorities are on board, doing checks,” Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Vincenzo Leone said at the port of Civitavecchia. “The situation is under control. There’s a security cordon on the dock.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)