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'A stroke of luck' to be on global cruise during pandemic

Many cruise ships have been the centers of coronavirus problems, but one Italian ship is a safe haven for the people on it right now.
Credit: AP
This Sunday, April 19, 2020, photo provided by passenger Alejandro Mezcua shows a group of fellow Spaniards on board the Deliziosa Costa cruise ship. They are set to arrive Monday in Barcelona, Spain. (Alejandro Mezcua via AP)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Several cruise ships have become coronavirus traps after outbreaks were discovered on board. But one Italian cruise ship has been a virus-free bubble since it set sail in January. 

On Monday the Deliziosa will make its first port-of-call in 35 days when it docks in Barcelona, Spain. Spaniard Carlos Payá will be one of 168 Spaniards who disembark. 

Payá says being on board the boat during the pandemic was “a stroke of good luck.” The ship will then head to its final destination, Genoa, Italy. 

French authorities had rebuffed a request to disembark several hundred passengers at Marseilles.

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