U.S. health authorities say 10 crew members and passengers on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Getaway have been diagnosed with COVID-19 (Chinese Communist virus). The cruise ship, carrying more than 3,000 people, returned to New Orleans today.
The Louisiana Department of Health tweeted yesterday, “The Norwegian Breakaway sailed from New Orleans on Nov. 28, stopping in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. There were more than 3,200 people on board.”
The Lousiana Department of Health said everyone on board will be screened for COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) before disembarkation, and if they come back positive, they will have to either return directly to their personal residences in private vehicles or self-quarantine in accommodations provided by Norwegian Cruise Line in accordance with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
The global cruise industry was hit hard during the outbreak, and in February 2020, a cruise ship called the Diamond Princess was forced to quarantine itself in a Japanese port while the new coronavirus was still poorly understood.
More than 700 people on the ship were eventually diagnosed with COVID-19, and 13 people died. Japanese authorities were strongly criticized at the time for insisting that passengers and staff stay on board the ship as the virus continued to spread.
In March 2020, the U.S. CDC issued a “no-sail” order to prevent the spread of the outbreak, which halted the U.S. cruise industry. Cruise ships in Europe and elsewhere resumed operations last year, but the ban was maintained in the United States.
After a year of severe losses in the cruise industry, the CDC finally released the ban in May this year, allowing vaccinated passengers and staff to sail, and industry giants have since resumed their trips from the United States. As for Canada, the ban on cruise ships was lifted only last month.
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