Police, funeral homes: No coronavirus at Pt Lisas

Police have dismissed reports that three crew members of a Singaporean cargo ship died from the coronavirus, saying there were no reports of any deaths at the Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation (Plipdeco).

According to a release issued by the police on Friday morning, no Chinese nationals were aboard the MTM Shanghai. The crew comprised Russians, Ukranians and Filipinos.

The release also dismissed reports that the crew were infected with the coronavirus, as its last reported port of call in Asia was in mid-2019, before the start of the outbreak.

The rumours began when photos of three vans belonging to funeral homes were circulated on WhatsApp, with a caption suggesting three Chinese crew members died of the disease.

Newsday spoke to a staff member at a funeral home, who said the three vans went to Plipdeco to process the bodies of three Venezuelans who had died in Trinidad. He said they were being shipped back to Venezuela on another vessel.