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Crew member’s death throws light on stranded workers

by Emmanuel Joseph
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The case of the apparent suicide of a crew member aboard the visiting Harmony of the Seas cruise liner has raised concern over the welfare of thousands of cruise ship crew members.

Luxury liners have become floating quarantine and isolation centres where crews are confined while awaiting repatriation to their homelands in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The spotlight has been thrown on their plight with the death yesterday of a young Philippine crew member. The case is now in the hands of the coroner, the Police spokesman said today.

Inspector Rodney Inniss said that after the body of Maria Jocson was found hanging from a bedsheet from the balcony of her room yesterday, Coroner Renee Manila had taken over the case.

Inspector Inniss said the coroner also later approved the release of the body of the 28-year-old assistant waitress to Lyndhurst Funeral Home following initial investigations by detectives. Lyndhurst is preparing Jocson’s body for return to her family in the Phillippines.

The body of Maria Jocson was found hanging from the balcony of her room on the Harmony of the Seas.

The Philippine woman was one of 2,000 crew members on board the Harmony of the Seas awaiting passage to their respective home countries. They make up a small group of between 150,000 and 200,000 seafarers trapped on these vessels by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

On the heels of the incident, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey has appealed to regional and international communities to allow the repatriation of citizens, stranded onboard cruise ships.

As he extended condolences to the young woman’s family and friends on behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, Humphrey highlighted the need for empathy and compassion at a difficult time.

Humphrey said: “Those of us who have been asked to quarantine at home; those of us who have had restrictions on our mobility, it’s been difficult and the mental anguish has been tremendous.

“[So] imagine the mental anguish being placed on persons on board these ships. So I’m using this opportunity to ask regional and international leaders to do the right thing.”

The Minister stressed that although the pandemic has significantly altered life as we know it and resulted in the imposition of stringent measures to contain the virus, there should be greater attention paid to helping these workers to return to their families.

He further pointed out that the repatriation process could be carried out safely, as was evident in Barbados’ efforts to accommodate these vessels and assist with the escort of passengers.

He said: “It is in this vein I wish to thank the Prime Minister of Barbados for her leadership in allowing persons to dock and board in Barbados and be repatriated to their various countries.

“In the story of the Good Samaritan, as told by Dr Martin Luther King, he said the question many people ask in moments like these is, ‘if I stop to help these people, what is going to happen to me?’

“And the question really has to be reversed. It has to be ‘if I do not help these people, what is going to happen to them?’ That is the question I feel this moment is forcing us to answer, and I hope in the end we all come down on the side of right.”

At a news conference, health authorities today revealed that COVID-19 patients and frontline workers have access to counselling and support services.

Minister of Health and Wellness Lt. Col Jeffrey Bostic, noted that cruise ship officials had not reached out to Government for assistance to help crew members cope.  But he assured Government would not hesitate to provide the assistance once requested.

“From time to time cruise ships have made requests of Barbados for medical assistance…humanitarian assistance as well, and we have been able to facilitate those requests,” the Health Minister said.

“So if there was a request for that psychological support, I am sure that we would be able to facilitate that request; but so far we have not had any request.”

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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