The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed that ten passengers and crew members aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship tested positive for coronavirus. The Norwegian Breakaway returned to New Orleans on Sunday after a weeklong cruise.
The Louisiana state health department said its agency as well as Gov. John Bel Edwards, the city of New Orleans and the Port of New Orleans “are aware and working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to initiate existing COVID-19 agreements and protocols with the cruise line.” The ship had stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. More than 3,200 people were onboard, and they all were to be tested before leaving the ship. The ship has a passenger capacity of 3,964.
The cruise line said the patients were all fully vaccinated and they were asymptomatic. Those who test positive for the virus will be required to travel home in a personal vehicle or self-isolate in accommodations provided by the cruise line. Passengers were given a test to use in three days.
The CDC requires everyone to have a negative test before boarding cruise ships, and vaccinations for those eligible with limited exemptions.
Editorial credit: stef brown / Shutterstock.com