Fires lit by protesters outside the port at Réunion Island. Pic is a still from Imaz Press Réunion
Fires lit by protesters outside the port at Réunion Island. Pic is a still from Imaz Press Réunion
A cruise ship full of Kiwis and Australians has been refused entry to two countries and met by violent protests at a third over fears the coronavirus could be on board the ship.
New Zealander Rod Pascoe, 67, is travelling on the Sun Princess with his wife on the seven-week Indian Ocean Odyssey.
They were among more than 2000 people on the ship when it docked at Réunion Island, a French territory off the coast of Africa on the weekend.
Rod Pascoe, 67 with his wife Julie Brockway on a beach on Reunion Island after they managed to avoid the protests. Photo / Supplied
But despite there being no cases of Covid-19 on board, the first shuttle buses of passengers were met by protesters from the island who threw rocks and screamed abuse as they arrived in the Pointe des Gallets port on Sunday morning, Pascoe said.
The protesters had barred the main port gates. Despite police being present, Captain Diego Perra had ordered the passengers back aboard the ship to escape the danger.
"Some passengers were very distressed and others absolutely steaming, fuming when they got back," said Pascoe, who had still been waiting for a bus when the violence erupted.
"People feared for their safety."
French media have reported about 30 protesters met the buses to call for more stringent health checks for those arriving from the ship.
They had thrown bottles and stones while police had responded with tear gas, according to Imaz Press Réunion, a local newspaper.
Fires lit by protesters outside the port at Réunion Island. Pic is a still from Imaz Press Réunion
Video from the scene also shows fires had been lit on the side of the road. One protester was reportedly arrested.
Only the main gates were affected so passengers managed to make it on to the island through another gate, Pascoe said. When he visited the markets most locals did not seem concerned about the virus.
There have been no reported cases of Covid-19 on Réunion Island, which has a population of just under 900,000.
A local folklore group that had been booked as the ship's main theatre group for Sunday night also didn't show, Pascoe said.
"They made no contact with the Sun Princess entertainment team - no warning at all. They just failed to arrive."
Pascoe said there were no Covid-19 cases on the ship and no special precautions such as masks were in use.
The Sun Princess cruise ship arriving into Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island in January. The ship and its passengers have been met by protests at Réunion Island over coronovirus fears. Photo / Getty
Local authorities told the ship passengers' safety could not be guaranteed, so instead of staying overnight at Réunion Island the captain planned to head for their next stop, the nearby Republic of Mauritius.
But overnight that government has also withdrawn permission for the ship to visit there.
It's the second place they have been refused entry, after Madagascar's government turned the ship away in mid-February as the ship had been to Thailand less than 14 days earlier.
Pascoe said he understood that decision as Covid-19 had been confirmed in Thailand at that point, and they were within the quarantine period.
"But that's a long time ago, 30 days [that we were in Thailand]. Why Mauritius has behaved like this is beyond us."
The Sun Princess left Fremantle in Western Australia on January 20 and has visited Singapore, Thailand, the Seychelles, Zanzibar in Tanzania, Madagascar, four ports in South Africa and Réunion.
It now faces an eight day journey back to Fremantle where it is due to arrive on March 10.
Shuttle bus fees had been refunded, Pascoe said. He suspected Princess Cruises would offer passengers discounts on later cruises for their trouble.
