Passengers onboard a cruise ship docked in Seattle said more than 100 passengers tested positive for COVID-19, KING-TV reported.
KING-TV said the cruise required COVID-19 vaccination and pre-boarding testing before disembarking. Despite these measures, it appears the virus still managed to spread.
Carnival Cruises would not confirm to KING-TV the number of cases onboard, but it did say that most of the cases were asymptomatic.
“Our protocols are designed to flex up as needed and additional measures were implemented during the voyage, including mask requirements for guests. In addition, all guests who were scheduled to continue on with the ship’s next cruise to Alaska were tested and any guests who tested positive were disembarked. Carnival provided transportation and lodging support for guests who needed to quarantine per CDC guidelines,” Carnival said in a statement to KING.
Passengers, on the other hand, reported problems on the cruise.
"They didn't have enough staff to handle the emergency that was happening, period," passenger Darren Sieferston told KING. "They were overwhelmed, and they didn't have a backup course in how to handle about 200 people affected with COVID. We all suffered."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped its risk advisory for cruise ship travel. Cruise ships were of particular concern for federal health officials early in the pandemic as several of the United States’ first COVID-19 outbreaks occurred on ships.
“The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters onboard ships. If the virus is spreading onboard a cruise ship, passengers and crew are at risk for infection, even if they are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines,” the CDC said.
