ORION 2

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COVID 19 protocol activated after false allegations

The Prefecture activated the COVID-19 protocol i nthe afternoon of May 17, 2020, for suspected cases on the 'Orion 2' after it entered the port of Mar del Plata. The SAME team was on alert at the dock upon arrival. The ship was in the midst of squid fishing when the situation developed. A group of ten sailors reported through social networks that they were living in inhumane conditions, that there was "water entering the cabins" and that one of the crew, Nazareno Julián, 35, was going through a feverish illness acute, making it a suspicious case of Covid-19. Without checking any data, accusations began to be made about the ship's owner, Valdore SA, pointing out alleged unhealthy conditions on board and technical failures that would endanger the crew's lives. The ten people from Mar del Plata had embarked on May 7 and were selected from the SOMU employment exchange after crew members of the ship had decided to leave as a consequence of the inconveniences generated by the Covid-19 protocols for the transfer of personnel. After five days of exploration in the northern sector and two days of fishing, this group of crew generated conflictive situations on board that included the dumping of a fuel tank and crockery into the sea. Despite an advance payment being accredited, the ten sailors demanded to return to port which was done to avoid problems. While the ship was sailing towards the port of Mar del Plata the same group of sailors began to send videos via YouTube denouncing an alleged abandonment of personnel in appalling hygiene conditions and the serious state of health of one of his companions. However, when the Prefecture boarded the ship, everything was denied. During inspections of hull, machines and accomodations that the ship met all standards. Six times the temperature of the crew was measured and in no case reported a fever. Everything was documented, settled and presented to the Prefecture. The maximum recorded was 36.8 degrees and the officers of the Prefecture who were on board could see the crewman walking on deck and talking on the phone without signs of any disease. Regarding the humidity in the cabins, the owner and the captain assured that the PNA agents confirmed that it was fresh water purposely dumped by the wayward sailors. Report with video: https://elmarplatense.com/2020/05/17/video-asi-mostraban-al-marinero-con-sintomas-sospechosos-de-covid-19-en-el-orion-ii/