Landing In Miami, 48 Passengers Of Royal Caribbean's Symphony Of The Seas Cruise Ship Positive For COVID-19

JAKARTA - Cruise ship operator Royal Caribbean announced at least 48 people on one of its ships docked in Miami, United States at the weekend had tested positive for COVID-19, as strict measures were put in place to keep sea cruises virus-free.

The Symphony of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, was carrying more than 6,000 passengers and crew on a week-long voyage around the Caribbean when a guest tested positive, prompting wider contact tracing, according to Royal Caribbean.

Cruise ships have been touted as one of the 'safest' vacations available in the summer of 2021, when the cruise industry restarts in the United States with new COVID-19 protocols, following the extensive shutdown of the pandemic.

Citing CNN December 20, the total Symphony of the Seas carried 6,091 passengers and crew. In a statement, Royal Caribbean said one guest tested positive during the trip, and subsequent cases were detected following contact tracing.

It said 95 percent of them had been fully vaccinated. Of the people who have since tested positive, 98 percent have been fully vaccinated. The total number of cases amounted to 0.78 percent of the ship's population.

It is not yet known whether the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is currently spreading rapidly around the world, was responsible for the detected cases.

Please note, Royal Caribbean rules dictate that all travelers onboard the ship aged 12 and over must be fully vaccinated, and test negative prior to departure. The cruise line says it "strongly recommends" guests receive a booster dose before sailing, but this is not currently mandated.

Meanwhile, cruise ship crew members are also required to be fully vaccinated and get tested "at least once a week."

As for children who were not vaccinated, the Symphony of the Seas ship operator was asked to show a negative PCR, as well as a negative test at the terminal before departure.

Regarding the discovery of this positive case, Royal Caribbean said it was also implementing additional health and safety measures, such as enhanced cleaning. On cruise ships based in Uncle Sam's Land, masks are now required to be worn in indoor public areas. This policy was recently updated to expand the requirements for the use of masks for fully vaccinated passengers.

"Everyone was quickly quarantined. Everyone who tested positive was asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, and we are continuing to monitor their health," read a Royal Caribbean statement on the Symphony of the Seas outbreak.

The Symphony of the Seas departed from Miami, Florida on December 11, stopping at the Caribbean port of St. Maarten and St. Thomas, as well as Royal Caribbean's private island, called CocoCay.

Separately, the cruise company said in a statement it dropped six positive cases at the start of the cruise, while another positive traveler dropped on December 18, when the cruise ended.

Despite this case, the cruise ship added that future voyages of the Symphony of the Seas would not be affected.

Meanwhile, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the industry body representing the world's major cruise lines, said in a statement provided to CNN Travel it was "monitoring developments related to the Omicron variant and remaining closely engaged with local and national authorities on the ground." -the place where cruise ships sail.

CLIA said on-board protocols such as testing, vaccination, and wearing masks were "designed with variance in mind." The association added that its member shipping lines will continue to take a "proactive approach" to responding to the pandemic as it develops.

Earlier in December, a spate of positive cases of COVID-19 was reported aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line Breakaway, which was traveling out of New Orleans.