Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas was denied entry by two island nations after a reported COVID19 outbreak. Curacao and Aruba barred the ship from entering after it recorded 55 COVID19 cases among their crew members and passengers.
Health officials in Curacao said that the percentage of infected individuals onboard was too high. On Wednesday morning, there were 51 positive cases on board. Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth said that “The day before yesterday, 18 crew members were positive, yesterday 36 and this morning there were 51”. Gerstenbluth also added that “several members have not been quarantined, so there is a good chance that passengers have also been infected”.
Gerstenbluth said that “With these numbers of infections, that percentage has been exceeded and we are therefore not eager to receive these people on the island, especially not with the current figures on the island”.
This incident happened days after an outbreak happened in Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. At least 48 people tested positive when the ship docked in Miami. The Symphony of the Seas is the biggest cruise ship in the world carrying more than 6,000 passengers and crew during its week-long Caribbean trip. The positive cases accounted for 0.78% of its on-board population.
COVID19 Outbreak Despite Safety Protocols
Royal Caribbean had outbreaks despite their safety protocols. For starters, crew members are all vaccinated and will have to take a COVID19 test “at least once a week”.
For passengers, Royal Caribbean requires passengers 12 years old and above to complete their vaccine doses. Plus, passengers will also have to test negative for COVID19 before departure. The company also “strongly recommends” guests to take the booster dose before sailing.
The recent outbreaks is still a far cry from the outbreaks in March 2022. However, the omicron variant is now becoming a serious concern among health officials. Cases in the US are on the rise while the new variant is now the dominant strain in the country.
