Cruise ships struck by second Covid-19 blight

After a cruise ship, SeaDream 1, carrying more than 200 people docked in Bodoe, Norway yesterday, everyone was ordered to stay onboard. A passenger from a previous trip had tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ABC News.

This follows an outbreak earlier this month on MS Roald Amundsen, whereby owners Hurtigruten halted all its cruise trips and Norway closed its ports to cruise ships for two weeks.

It was not immediately clear why SeaDream 1 was allowed to dock in Bodoe.

SeaDream 1’s 85 crew members were all tested for the virus and came back negative. Authorities were in contact with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health on whether the 123 passengers should be as well.

The Norway-based company that owns the ship, SeaDream Yacht Club, says the former passenger had no symptoms of Covid-19 during the earlier voyage and had travelled home on 2nd August. The person underwent a routine virus test upon arrival in Denmark and it came back positive on Tuesday.

All the other passengers from the infected individual’s trip must self-quarantine for 10 days, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health says.

In the Pacific, passengers aboard the Paul Gauguin – docked in Papeete, Tahiti – have been told to stay in their cabins after Covid-19 was detected on board by the ship’s doctor, French Polynesian press reports.

The Paul Gauguin was sailing between Bora Bora and the Rangiroa islands, when a positive case was detected in a crew member. The ship immediately turned around to head back to its home port, says The Guardian.

It is not known how many passengers are on board – numbers have been reduced as part of the company’s strict coronavirus protocols – but infectious disease specialists will test every person on board.