iStock(CASTRIES, St. Lucia) — The cruise ship quarantined in St. Lucia as medical officials investigate a possibly confirmed case of measles is the Freewinds, which belongs to the Church of Scientology, according to St. Lucia Marine Police.
Sgt. Victor Theodore of the St. Lucia Marine Police told ABC News on Thursday that no one had gotten on or off the ship since it was quarantined.
Theodore said he believes the ship is scheduled to depart Thursday night for Curacao, its home port. He did not know where the boat had come from and could not confirm the identity of the person with measles.
The Freewinds website describes the ship as “a religious retreat that marks for Scientologists the pinnacle of their journey to total spiritual freedom.”
“Its position at sea is designed to provide an aesthetic, distraction-free environment off the crossroads of everyday life,” it reads. “As a center of spiritual enlightenment, it is a place where lives are transformed.”
On Wednesday, the chief medical officer on the island of St. Lucia confirmed that the Ministry of Health was investigating a possible case of measles aboard a cruise ship currently docked in one of its ports.
Dr. Merlene Fredericks James said in a YouTube video on Tuesday that the cruise ship was being quarantined because of fears that others on the ship may be infected.
James said her department had learned early Tuesday morning from “two reputable sources” that there had been a case of measles on board a cruise ship that had visited St. Lucia.
“As per the Quarantine Act, our authority under the Quarantine Act, the Public Health Act, and after internal discussions as well as discussions with external health agencies such as the Pan-American Health Organization, we thought it prudent that we quarantine the ship,” she said. “The crew and passengers aboard were not allowed to leave.”
At the time, James did not name the cruise line or the boat, and did not say where it came from.
In her YouTube announcement, James referred to the current measles outbreaks in the U.S., and advised residents traveling to the U.S. and other parts of the world that they ensure they and their children are adequately vaccinated against the disease.
On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there had been 704 cases of measles reported nationally so far this year.
Preliminary global data showed that reported cases of measles have been up nearly 300% in the first three months of 2019 compared to the same time frame in 2018, according to the World Health Organization.
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