One passenger tested positive for Coronavirus after returning home from a cruise on Carnival Imagination. CDC has informed Carnival Cruise Line about this individual and the company is taking additional precautions to protect its crew on board. In a letter distributed on March 18, Carnival Cruise Line informed the crew members about the passenger who tested positive as well as providing additional information about the current status on board Carnival Imagination.
"We have been informed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that a guest who traveled on board Carnival Imagination during the sailing of March 5-8, 2020 has been confirmed with a positive case of COVID-19. We want to share with you the information we have available and your next steps:
- - During the March 5 cruise, we did not have any guests who reported any symptoms of COVID-19 or influenza-like illness. There were two crew members who tested positive for Influenza A and they were immediately isolated to their stateroom.
- - No further information about this person has been shared with us, so we do not have any details regarding what stateroom they were in or how they spent their time on board.
- - During the following two sailings (March 8 and March 12 departures), no guests or crew were seen at the Medical Center for any influenza-like illness.
- - We routinely and thoroughly sanitize every stateroom and public area ate the end of each voyage with a disinfection known to kill COVID-19 within 30 seconds."
Carnival advised its crew to monitor their health and to take the following precautions:
- To check for symptoms: fever, cough, or difficulty breathing
- Crew to have temperature taken every day.
- Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing.
- Wash hands often with soap and hot water - especially after coughing and sneezing. If not available use 60 %alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
If any of the crew gets sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, they need to call the medical center immediately and avoid contact with others.
