Cruise ship that reported COVID cluster sets sail from New Orleans

Cruise ship that carried at least 17 individuals who had tested positive into a New Orleans port on Sunday has once again set sail with new passengers. Both crew members and passengers had tested positive for the virus.

According to statements from a Lousiana Department of Health spokesperson, eight passengers and nine members of the crew of the Norwegian Cruise Line had tested positive before the vessel docked into the port on Sunday afternoon.

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None had any symptoms and only fully vaccinated people are allowed on board, Norwegian Cruise Line said, according to reports from Associated Press.

The company also announced that all passengers who were scheduled to board the vessel before Monday’s departure were given an option to cancel their tickets without being charged a penalty amount.

The statement read, “Guests who opt to sail must wear masks while indoors except while actively eating or drinking and will be tested twice during the cruise”, according to reports from Associated Press.

The Breakaway can carry up to 3,963 passengers. Its Caribbean route from New Orleans includes Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico; Roatán, in the Bay Islands of Honduras; and Harvest Caye, Belize.

An earlier statement from Norwegian Cruise Line said that any passengers who tested positive would either drive themselves home or “self-isolate in accommodations provided by the company.”

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According to media reports, the passengers were tested for potential COVID-19 exposure on Saturday last week– a day before the ship was scheduled to reach New Orleans. Moreover, the passengers were also handed out rapid testing kits to take home as they deboarded.

Cruise ships were an early source of outbreaks at the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year, and some ships were rejected at ports and passengers were forced into quarantine.