Cruises are once again facing disruptions because of COVID-19

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(CNN) — At slightest 4 water cruise ships were turned distant from ports of telephone oregon were prohibited from letting passengers disembark successful the Americas this week due to the fact that of COVID-19 cases aboard.

Though different cruises person had COVID-19 cases since U.S.-based ships resumed work this summer with vaccine requirements and different measures meant to minimize outbreaks, the complaint of cruises forced to change their itineraries appears to person ticked up.

The disruptions inactive are a acold outcry from March 2020, erstwhile the pandemic unopen down the manufacture and led to weeks of efforts to get already-embarked passengers and unit members location arsenic ports closed to virus-hit vessels.

Still, this week’s disruptions came amid planetary interest astir the highly transmissible omicron coronavirus variant, and as COVID-19 lawsuit rates roseate successful the U.S. and elsewhere.

The caller cruise-ship disruptions include:

• Mexican officials prevented the Holland America Line Koningsdam from letting its passengers disembark successful Puerto Vallarta connected Thursday aft 21 unit members tested affirmative for COVID-19, the Jalisco authorities wellness section said.

A “small fig of afloat vaccinated crew” tested affirmative and each showed either mild oregon nary symptoms, Holland America Line told CNN.

Jalisco wellness authorities initially were going to let radical investigating antagonistic to disembark. However, they changed their mind, citing an “exponential maturation of confirmed cases successful the crew” by Thursday, the section said. Only 1 unit subordinate had tested affirmative little than a week earlier, the section said.

The ship, which departed San Diego connected Dec. 19 with much than 1,000 passengers and much than 870 unit members, visited Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán earlier it arrived successful Puerto Vallarta. It is owed to instrumentality to San Diego arsenic scheduled connected Sunday.

Holland America Line, similar the different cruise companies successful this story, requires passengers and unit to beryllium afloat vaccinated against COVID-19, with immoderate exceptions for children.

• Ports successful the Caribbean islands of Bonaire and Aruba turned away the Carnival Freedom ship connected Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, aft “a tiny number” of radical aboard tested affirmative for COVID-19, the cruise enactment said.

However, the institution lined up a replacement halt Friday successful the Dominican Republic.

It besides was allowed to halt successful Curacao on Tuesday. Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth, the nationalist epidemiologist for Curacao, said the vessel alerted him earlier it arrived that unit members had tested positive. After helium visited the vessel and determined the cases were contained among the crew, Curacao allowed the ship’s passengers to permission the ship, with the unit remaining connected board, helium said.

The vessel volition instrumentality to Miami arsenic planned connected Sunday, the cruise enactment said.

• Officials successful Curacao and Aruba turned distant the Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas this week aft 55 afloat vaccinated unit members and passengers contracted COVID-19, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

Curacao wellness officials decided the percent of radical aboard who tested affirmative was excessively precocious for the federation to let the vessel to dock, the Curacao Chronicle reported.

The vessel is owed to instrumentality to Florida’s Fort Lauderdale arsenic planned connected Sunday.

According to Royal Caribbean, the vessel tin accommodate up to 5,550 guests positive 1,600 unit members. It wasn’t wide whether the vessel was afloat occupied.

• Colombian officials prevented the Seven Seas Mariner from letting anyone disembark successful Cartagena connected Wednesday, aft 7 affirmative COVID-19 cases — successful six unit members and 1 rider — were reported. The vessel began an 18-day travel from Miami to San Francisco on Dec. 18.

Also this month, astatine slightest 48 radical who were aboard the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas tested affirmative for COVID-19, the cruise line said after the vessel finished its travel successful Miami connected Dec. 18. That ship, carrying much than 6,000 passengers and unit members, stopped astatine 3 islands and did not study an itinerary disruption.

The disruptions truthful acold person affected a tiny fraction of operating cruise ships

The altered cruises correspond a tiny fraction of the dozens of cruise ships underway in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the wider Atlantic and the Pacific astatine immoderate fixed clip this month.

Positive COVID-19 tests aboard cruise ships aren’t unsocial to this period — they person happened different times since cruises resumed departures from U.S. shores this summer.

In August, for instance, 27 radical tested affirmative aboard a Carnival cruise vessel earlier it called connected a larboard successful Belize City.

However, portion those investigating affirmative were isolated connected the ship, other radical were allowed to disembark there if they provided impervious of a antagonistic test.

Now, the dispersed of the Omicron variant “may signifier however immoderate destination authorities presumption adjacent a tiny fig of cases, adjacent erstwhile they are being managed with our vigorous protocols,” Carnival spokesperson AnneMarie Mathews told CNN Friday successful a prepared statement.

“Some destinations person constricted aesculapian resources and are focused connected managing their ain section effect to the variant,” Mathews added.

“Should it beryllium indispensable to cancel a port, we volition bash our champion to find an alternate destination,” Mathews said.

Health and information protocols

Cruise companies implemented galore onboard wellness and information requirements — and person updated them arsenic conditions changed — to debar a repetition of outpouring 2020. That included requiring COVID-19 vaccines for unit members and passengers (with exceptions for children), with vaccines offering strong extortion against terrible unwellness and death.

The companies urge booster shots for their passengers. Holland America Line says its unit members person boosters arsenic soon arsenic they are eligible.

Cruise companies mostly necessitate their passengers to trial antagonistic for COVID-19 earlier starting the trip, and necessitate predominant investigating of their crews.

Passengers investigating affirmative during the travel mostly are required to isolate

U.S.-based cruises besides necessitate masks to beryllium worn successful indoor nationalist areas. That argumentation was recently updated to widen indoor mask-wearing to afloat vaccinated passengers.

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