VIRUS OUTBREAK SENDS CRUISE SHIP BACK TO S.D.
Passengers were not allowed to leave ship in Puerto Vallarta
There was no room at the inn for Koningsdam passengers in Puerto Vallarta on Christmas Eve after Mexican health authorities learned of a small coronavirus outbreak among the cruise ship’s crew.
Holland America, the vessel’s operator, confirmed the situation in an email Friday evening, saying that a “small number of fully-vaccinated crew on Koningsdam tested positive” but are showing “mild or no symptoms and are in isolation.”
That was apparently not good enough for Mexican health authorities who notified the cruise line that “guests would not be permitted ashore” causing the ship, which is designed to carry 4,173 passengers and crew, to depart for San Diego after arriving in port Thursday.
The 974-foot, 13-deck ship left San Diego on Dec. 16 for a seven-day tour of the Mexican Rivera, stopping in Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan before arriving in Puerto Vallarta, as scheduled, on Thursday.
The Koningsdam is scheduled to arrive back in San Diego on Sunday, and Holland America said Friday that the return date will not change.
Cruise industry observers were quick to pick up on the sudden change with some saying Friday night that 21 crew had tested positive. Holland America declined to specify precisely how many were involved, though the site cruisemapper.com lists Koningsdam as carrying more than 1,000 crew and between 2,650 and 3,194 passengers, depending on how many end up staying in each of the ship’s 1,331 cabins.
The incident was the fourth cruise outbreak reported this week as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus shows its ability to spread rapidly.
Odyssey of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise liner, was denied entry to Curacao and Aruba earlier this week during an eightday cruise that was to return to Fort Lauderdale after 55 passengers and crew tested positive for coronavirus infections, according to the Miami Herald. Symphony of the Seas, another ship in the Royal Caribbean stable, was reported to have returned to Fort Lauderdale with 48 positive cases aboard when it returned after completing its itinerary last Saturday. Carnival Freedom, a third South Florida-based cruiser, was reportedly barred from disembarking passengers in Bonaire and Aruba on Wednesday and Thursday.
Infections are occurring despite a tight focus on prevention.
Holland America requires proof of full vaccination before passengers are allowed to board and also proof of a negative coronavirus test conducted no more than two days before the departure date.
Onboard, masks are required in elevators, designated indoor entertainment areas, retail shops and casinos. An environmental sanitation program, which includes hand sanitizer dispensers in all high-traffic areas, is part of routine operations and includes using a “safe disinfectant proven to kill coronaviruses” in staterooms. Holland also states in its “health and safety guidelines” that it has increased the capacity of airhandling systems to circulate and filter more fresh air throughout its vessels.