An 88-year-old Maltese man in quarantine as a precaution over coronavirus said he felt “humiliated” with the way he was handled by the authorities on his arrival in Malta on Friday. 

The man, who has tested negative for the virus, said two policemen boarded the plane with health personnel and accompanied him off the aircraft in front of all the other passengers.

Two police cars and an ambulance were waiting for him on a remote part of the runway where the plane had parked.

“I felt like Al Capone being arrested by the FBI. I felt like a criminal. It was humiliating,” he said on Saturday from the private hospital room where he has been taken.

The elderly man, whose name is being withheld, was aboard the cruise liner MV Westerdam which was refused entry to several ports in Asia until it was allowed to dock in Cambodia.

I felt like Al Capone being arrested by the FBI

One of the passengers who left the ship was then reported to have tested positive.

However, according to a letter sent to passengers by the president of Holland America Line, the woman has been cleared of the virus after repeated tests, while no viral infections have been found among the 2,000 passengers and crew aboard the ship.

The Maltese man, who was in the last batch of passengers to leave the liner, started his journey home last Wednesday with a seven-hour coach trip to Phnom Penh followed by an exhausting flight back to Malta via Karachi, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

He has now asked to be placed into voluntary quarantine at his own home and was yesterday awaiting arrangements to be made by the health authorities.

Public health director Charmaine Gauci on Saturday said three people were being quarantined by the authorities and had shown no symptoms. The other two are a couple who came off the same cruise ship last week.

Prof. Gauci said they were being monitored because of their exposure to a suspected case.

Malta is focusing on containment measures and has long-term plans for any circumstance, she added.

She was asked about the situation as the virus creeps closer to home.

The Italian government has locked down 10 towns after two Italians died from the coronavirus, the first to be reported in Italy. A further 17 people have been identified as having caught the virus.

“Malta’s plans and response to the virus are being enhanced through continuous contact with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organisation and evidence-based measures applicable to the scenario,” said Prof. Gauci.