Mexico bars cruise ship from docking on fears of Ebola risk

Mexican authorities Friday banned a cruise ship from docking off the coast of Cozumel Island, citing Ebola concerns.
The move came a day after neighboring Belize denied entry to one of the passengers, a Dallas woman who may have come in contact with the virus through laboratory work, local media reported.
Local port authorities in Quintana Roo, the Caribbean state Cozumel is located in, said Mexico was implementing the necessary international health protocols, following a health alert issued by Belize.
"We woke up to several international notifications, and even though the (Ebola) case is not confirmed, the state Health Ministry in coordination with the municipality and port captaincy made the decision" to deny docking, Mexico's El Universal news website cited the municipal president of Cozumel, Freddy Marrufo, as saying.
Cruise operator Carnival Cruise Lines said the passenger was in isolation on the ship, though she has shown no symptoms of the disease, and poses no threat to other passengers.
On Wednesday, the cruise company was notified of the potential health risk by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who said the woman supervised the laboratory at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where patient Thomas Duncan had been treated before dying of the disease.
Financial information website Market Watch reported that company shares took a hit from the incident, falling 2.9 percent.
The passenger left the United States aboard the cruise ship on Oct. 12, before the CDC called for stricter monitoring of anyone who may have come in contact with the virus and contacted the woman.
"The worker has voluntarily remained in the cabin and the State Department and cruise line are working to bring the worker back to the U.S. out of an abundance of caution," the U.S. Department of State said in a release.