PLAGUE SHIP
Irishwoman ‘still in good spirits’ onboard cruise ship hit by horror virus as pressure grows for evacuation
A POLITICIAN pal of an Irish woman stuck on the rat-virus cruise ship says she is still in good spirits despite the terrifying ordeal.
Senator Aubrey McCarthy said he was in touch by phone with Ann Lane today as she remains stranded on the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius.
Senator McCarthy said: “Ann is a tough lady, this will not knock her.
“She has been on the expedition ship, as she says ‘it’s definitely not a cruise, Aubrey’, since the end of March.
“This is her sixth expedition trip, she has been to the Antarctic four times, so Ann is used to the rough and tumble of what would be expected but this is certainly new territory.”
Senator McCarthy said Ms Lane, who previously worked as an advisor to former President Mary Robinson, is hopeful that she will get off the ship in the coming days, but expects that may only happen now if she’s repatriated to Ireland.
Speaking on RTE Liveline, he added: “She was looking at out at Cape Verde today but they have blocked anybody coming on shore.
“She’s optimistic that they will be allowed to go to the Canaries, but since I spoke to her it’s come out that non-Spanish people will not be allowed to leave the ship there. That is news to me and it will be news to Ann.”
However he said that, despite the ordeal, Ms Lane, who is a Cork woman but living in Donnybrook, Dublin, couldn’t be more thankful to the operators of the cruise ship, Oceanwide Expeditions.
Senator McCarthy said: “She’s a real fan of Oceanwide, she says their services are second to none and she is full of praise.
“I know there’s been reports online that there are rats on the ship but she says that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“She believes the virus came on board at the tip of Argentina and it certainly was not on the ship.
“What is most interesting is that she says she is very comfortable and there is no drama.
“She’s delighted that the two most ill people have been taken off.”
He quipped “She says the food is excellent and in fact she is going to be afraid to get on the weighing scales when she gets back to Ireland.”
Meanwhile, Senator McCarthy has called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure Ms Lane can get back to Ireland as soon as it is possible to do so.
He says his “heart goes out to her” at having to experience the death of three fellow passengers.
He added: “Ann is a lady who has carved her own way. Something like this might knock you or me but there is no better person to be on the ship than Ann Lane.
“Anybody who is human would consider, what is the mortality here.
“But again, and I’m not making light of it, but Ann is strong, she is nearly 80, she has a wonderful sense of humour.
“When she gets off this ship, you will have an amazing interview that will be absolutely raw and real.”
He said Ms Lane has been passing the time by reading and researching.
Senator McCarthy said: “Ann is an avid reader so she will be researching the hantavirus and will know it from A to Z. She is very thorough.”
Source: https://www.thesun.ie/news/16921653/irishwoman-cruise-ship-rat-hantavirus/
