A cruise ship owned and operated by the Church of Scientology has been quarantined off the coast St. Lucia because one of the female members of the crew was diagnosed with measles. There are around 300 people on board the ship, which has been identified as The Freewinds.
Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James, the nation's chief medical officer, said that nobody will be allowed to disembark from the ship, which has been sitting in a port since Monday (April 29).
"Because of the risk of potential infection, not just from the confirmed measles case but from other persons who may be on the boat at the time, we thought it prudent to make a decision not to allow anyone to disembark," she said in a statement.
The crew member who was diagnosed with measles has been placed in isolation by the ship's doctor and is in stable condition.
Officials say they cannot keep the ship from leaving, and it is scheduled to depart from St. Lucia at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday (May 2). It is unclear where The Freewinds is heading next or if the passengers will be allowed to disembark from the 440-foot ship when they arrive at their next port of call.