A RETURNING Jamaican ship worker aboard the Adventure of the Seas was overcome with sadness as security personnel moved about at the Falmouth Port on Tuesday afternoon.
Using the pseudonym Shelly Williams because some ship workers are fearful of the COVID-19 stigma attached to travellers, she was one of 1,040 Jamaicans aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Adventure of the Seas that arrived to cheers in the Georgian-era town, after months of uncertainty awaiting the reopening of the country’s borders to inbound passengers shortly after the new coronavirus emerged in Jamaica.
Shortly after the cruise ship docked, a rendition of Jamaica’s national anthem could be heard from the ship’s balcony – the words “Teach us true respect for all” resonating more than ever before.
Board member of the Western Regional Health Authority, Dennis Meadows, who was on hand to welcome the crew members, who have quarantined on various ships since March, described the arrival as heart-warming.
Fletcher said that the only thing that would have made it better would be the ability to get off the ship and go home Tuesday.
