The volcanic eruption at Soufriere volcano sent a six-mile-high eruption of an ash plume that prompted Saint Vincent PM Ralph Gonsalves to allow evacuation of vaccinate people on vessels. He made that decision to lessen the transmission of COVID-19 amongst the evacuees.
St. Vincent PM says only vaccinated people can evacuate immediately
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told the chief medical officer to identify those already vaccinated for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, to load them onto cruise ships assisting in the island evacuation efforts. He told the reporters of this development as resources were spent to get people away from the danger zone, as reported by the Epoch Times.
Gonsalves remarked that there is a shortage of personnel who can operate the boats used for taking people to safety from the Soufriere volcano. He indicated that they could only transport passengers with no other assistance.
According to his statement as quoted by the Epoch Times with contribution of Reuters, "Those who are not yet vaccinated but who would be vaccinated, you wouldn't send them immediately after vaccination," due to possible side effects like "wooziness in the head, you know how that is," he said.
Based on the data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 10,805 residents of St. Vincent and the Grenadines have gotten one vaccine dose.
Saint Vincent got covered with a thin layer of ash with powerful sulfur due to volcanic reaction. The eruption last Friday ended its hiatus as it ended its decades of dormancy that made the evacuation called by the St. Vincent PM to have vaccinated people ready to leave.
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Residents heard the volcano's rumbling, which ejects soot and ash that fell on everything on the ground, from rooftops and roads of Kingstown, the island's capital. All over, the ash that fell covered the landscape turning it into a ghost town.
Last Friday, there were two cruise ships whose arrival was announced by CruiseRadio.net; it alerted the islanders that rescue is underway, on the same day, with three more ships sailing to get there fast.
A statement from the Carnival Cruise Line was reported to CruiseRadio.net.
"The Carnival Legend and Carnival Paradise are currently off the coast of St. Vincent, awaiting further orders from local authorities on how Carnival Cruise Line will assist in the evacuation of local residents who are threatened by the eruption of volcano La Soufriere."
"Carnival and Royal Caribbean are also coordinating our efforts to ensure a smooth operation once resident embarkation begins. The start date for these evacuation sailings has yet to be determined."
Sources said St. Lucia, Grenada, Antigua, and Barbados are willing to take in evacuees from the island, except they must be fully vaccinated from COVID-19.
Places like Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with 100,000 have not been subject to any volcanic activity from 1979, except now in April 2021. The one caused damage worth $100 million. Aside from that, La Soufriere erupted in 1902 that killed at least 1000 people as casualties.
The announcement by St. Vincent PM comes as vaccinated people become a priority on the ships fast.
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