Though cruise operators are eager to sail again, COVID-19 can still make its way on to ships, as it did this week on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of the Bahamas.
“Today, two kids sailing on Adventure of the Seas tested positive for COVID after routine testing required before returning home,” said Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley.
He said both of the guests who tested positive were unvaccinated and younger than 16, though he did not specify their ages. One was asymptomatic and the other had minor symptoms. They were immediately quarantined and the other members of their travel party, who were vaccinated, tested negative for COVID-19.
Guests under 16 on Adventure of the Seas did not require a vaccination, reported the Washington Post. Overall, 100 percent of the ship’s crew was vaccinated, 92 percent of the guests were vaccinated and 8 percent were unvaccinated minors, said Bayley.
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Royal Caribbean arranged a private flight for the minors who tested positive and their travel group out of Freeport in Grand Bahama to their home in Florida, he said.
According to the Washington Post, Royal Caribbean cruise line protocol requires unvaccinated passengers to have a negative PCR test no more than five days before arriving in the Bahamas as well as another test before boarding. Passengers are also testing near the end of the cruise. The two Adventure of the Seas passengers testing positive during the end of cruise testing process.
During the cruise, unvaccinated passengers are required to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces and crowded outdoor areas unless eating or drinking.
This Adventure of the Seas trip left Nassau June 19 with about 1,000 guests on board and stopped at the line’s private island in the Bahamas, then in Cozumel before reaching Freeport.
Royal Caribbean began offering cruises from the Bahamas again on June 12, after more than a year of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting Aug. 1, all passengers 12 or older will have to be vaccinated.
Even before these cases, another cruise scheduled to sail from the U.S. was postponed after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19 and earlier this month two passengers on the Celebrity Millennium cruise ship sailing from St. Maarten tested positive for the virus, even though all guests were vaccinated.
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During the early stages of the pandemic, cruise ships such as the Diamond Princess were sites of major virus outbreaks.
“At this time, CDC still recommends people who are not fully vaccinated avoid any travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide, because the risk of COVID-19 on cruise ships is high,” said Jun 16 guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This weekend, the Celebrity Edge cruise is expected to be the first to sail from the U.S. since pandemic protocols were put in place.
According to CNBC, the ship will have 1,100 passengers who will set sail Saturday from Port Everglades, Fla., including two unvaccinated adults and 24 kids under the age of 16.
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