Over 100 Passengers Impacted by Norovirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship

A norovirus outbreak on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was reported Wednesday after more than 100 passengers and crew members became ill during the voyage to Jamaica.

According to FloridaToday.com, the Oasis of the Seas departed Port Canaveral Sunday on a seven-night cruise and docked in Falmouth port in Jamaica where guests were required to remain on the ship for several hours.

Several passengers on the voyage took to social media to complain that they were not permitted to leave the ship before departing for the next port of call in Cozumel, Mexico. Royal Caribbean officials would not confirm if the ship was quarantined.

“As of today, 167 cases of gastrointestinal illness have been reported since Sunday, representing two percent of the nearly 9,000 guests and crew on board,” Royal Caribbean spokesman Owen Torres told FloridaToday.com. “Those affected by the short-lived illness are being treated by our ship’s medical team with over-the-counter medication.”

“Meanwhile, we are bringing additional medical staff on board and we’re engaging in intensive sanitary procedures to minimize the risk of any further issues,” Torres continued.

The outbreak on the Oasis of the Seas comes just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed only 10 ships reported major outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses in 2018.

The CDC’s 2018 numbers totaled 547 cases of gastrointestinal illnesses reported in 2018, which is less than half the number of instances announced in 2017.