Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the decision to cancel Medevac helicopter support for the mother of two who suffered a miscarriage while aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Adventure of the Seas was made by authorities on the vessel.

Tufton made the revelation during a press briefing at the Falmouth Port in Trelawny on Thursday shortly after the first batch of 200 repatriated cruise-ship workers were tested and transferred to the Bahia Principe hotel in St Ann, where they will await their COVID-19 results.

However, there was a suspension of that request by the vessel and a request for a hold until the vessel was docked in port,” Tufton stated, adding that the report was that the woman’s condition had stabilised.

Acknowledging that the miscarriage was an unfortunate incident, Tufton slammed talk that the Government, and the health authorities, specifically, were complicit in the resulting tragedy.

On Thursday, Tufton said it took a much shorter time than anticipated to process the 200 workers who were targeted.