Customary authorities in Wallis and Futuna have decided to ban a planned visit by a German cruise ship to protect the population against the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Photo: Michael Runkel
The kings on both islands, however, are yet to decide if the cruise ship Soleal will be allowed to dock later this month.
The Soleal is scheduled to sail from French Polynesia via the Cook Islands, Samoa and Wallis to Fiji.
Airline passengers arriving at the international airport on Wallis are examined.
The territory's main air link is with New Caledonia, which in the past month has checked more than 30,000 travellers for the disease.
Meanwhile, the operators of the Soleal, PONANT, say they have safety and security experts monitoring the Covid-19 situation closely and are in constant contact with the relevant international authorities to preserve the health of their passengers and crew.
PONANT said there had been no cases of contamination on any of their ships.
