The police on the French island of Reunion have used tear gas to put an end to protests that had turned violent against the call of the Sun Princess cruise ship at Pointe de Galets on the island, the news media report.

The ship had not reported of a coronavirus or another kind of an infection onboard.

“About 30 protesters had gathered at the north-western port to demand health checks of tourists to avoid the virus taking root on their island. The locals tried to prevent visitors leaving the port, forcing the police to intervene. The protesters threw pebbles and bottles at the security forces, who responded with teargas,” The Guardian newspaper in London reports on its website.

The 77,400 gross ton Sun Princess belongs to Princess Cruises, which is part of Carnival Corporation & plc. It is based in Australia and the majority of the about 2,000 passengers on the ship came from Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

The ship had already been refused entry to a port in Madagascar, some news reports say.