Despite the strict measures and immunization policies against the COVID-19, NCL’s cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway, returned to New Orleans with 17 positive cases, including one “probable case” of the Omicron variant in a South African crew member. The ship departed from New Orleans on the 28th of November visiting Belize, Honduras and Mexico, with 3,200 passengers onboard. It returned to Louisiana on 5th of December, where the cases were tested positive before the ship docked, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
The cruise line stated that the infected were asymptomatic, while the crewmember, thought to have the Omicron variant “was in isolation for the entirety of the cruise.” The health officials added that appropriate quarantine and isolation protocols were followed and that all the passengers, without exception was required to take a test before disembarking. Following that, according to the officials, those who were tested positive, have either travelled by personal vehicle directly home or have been isolated.
Norwegian Cruise Line is requiring full vaccination of all the passengers, including children, and crew members take antigen tests and be fully vaccinated before boarding. Children who are not eligible for a vaccine are prohibited from traveling.
“As always, the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is our highest priority,” a spokesman for the line said in the statement, ad ding, “We will never compromise on health and safety.”
Cruise industry had been hit hard, as the ships were known as “major super-spreaders” and even when the vaccination played the important role in the U. S. in April, helping the travel industry to move forward, many of the cruise ships were still in the docks, causing the companies lose big amount of income each month.
So, the summer success in the big come-back of the cruise companies, with confirming of increase in bookings and a higher control with the COVID-19 protocols, can again slow down, facing the recent obstacle, the concern over the Omicron variant.
