Panaji,  Nearly 2,000 passengers on Mumbai-Goa luxury cruise ship 'Cordelia' continue to be confined on board off Goa's Mormugao Port after a crew member tested positive for Covid, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Monday.

"All passengers should be tested and only after that will they be allowed (on land)," he said.

The passengers and the crew are being tested at a nearby private hospital in batches, official sources said.

The state is combating a surge in Covid cases, with the weekly infection rate pegged at more than 5 per cent on an average.