Maltese elderly couple refused disembarkation from cruise, appeal for reconsideration: ‘Voyage to England will put us at risk’

A Maltese elderly couple on an aborted cruise are asking Charmaine Gauci to reconsider her refusal for them to disembark in Malta when the ship stops for refuelling off the islands

Joseph Mercieca and Marthese Bonello (inset) are currently on the cruise ship Columbus that will be passing off Malta on 6 April
Joseph Mercieca and Marthese Bonello (inset) are currently on the cruise ship Columbus that will be passing off Malta on 6 April

An elderly Maltese couple on an aborted cruise have appealed to the Public Health Superintendent to reconsider her position after refusing them permission to disembark in Malta.

Marthese Bonello and Joseph Mercieca have written an open letter to Charmaine Gauci, asking her to reconsider their case.

The couple, both 70, are not infected by the coronavirus but fear that the extended voyage to England, where they would then have to get a repatriation flight home will put them at greater risk of contracting the virus.

Apart from their age, Bonello and Mercieca suffer from respiratory and cardiac conditions that risk giving them health complications if they contract the coronavirus.

The couple boarded the cruise ship Columbus on 25 February in Sydney, Australia but on 14 March, the operator aborted the cruise and the ship was ordered to make a non-stop voyage back to the port of Tilburry in the UK.

The ship is expected to arrive some 20 miles off Malta on 6 April, where it will take on fuel to continue its journey.

The couple had asked permission to be disembarked when the ship stops for refuelling but the Public Health Superintendent ruled out that option.

READ ALSO: Maltese couple on cruise liner denied permission to disembark, public health chief says

Gauci had said the couple were not infected and not in distress, so they could continue with their journey to the UK and return to Malta via a repatriation flight.

The ship was informed by Transport Malta that it would be allowed to refuel outside Maltese territorial waters but denied it permission to disembark the two passengers.

Restrictions on incoming passengers have been in place since last month as the country tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The couple are now asking Gauci to reconsider the refusal on the basis of the higher risk they incur if allowed to proceed to the UK, where infections are ramping up.
 

This is the text in English of the letter Marthese Bonello and Joseph Mercieca have sent to Charmaine Gauci

For the attention of Ms Charmaine Gauci

Ms Gauci,

My partner, Marthese Bonello, and I, Joseph Mercieca, appeal for you to reconsider the decision to refuse us permission to disembark from the cruise liner MV Columbus when it stops for refuelling some 20 miles off Malta on 6 April.

We wish you to consider our vulnerability.

Apart from being both 70-years-old, we both suffer from respiratory and cardiac conditions.

If we are allowed to continue our voyage to the port of Tilbury - where we would be accommodated indefinitely in a hotel, we would have to go out and buy medicines for chronic disease, travel to Heathrow and fly back to Malta - we would be put at great risk of getting infected with the coronavirus.

In London, there is the highest risk of infection anywhere in the UK. The death rate is continuing to increase.

The opportunity to disembark in Malta will mean that this significant risk can be avoided.

On a separate note, we would like to clarify that this holiday was booked in September last year; we embarked on the vessel on 25 February 2020 (after assurances from the cruise liner operator) and on 14 March the ship started its non-stop repatriation voyage to Tilbury.

We all find ourselves in an extraordinary situation. We ask that our case is considered on the merits of our old age, our health, and to avoid the increased risk of contracting the virus as a result of the extended route that will take us to a place where the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate.

Marthese and Joseph