48 vaccinated tourists aboard the world’s largest cruise ship, the Symphony of the Seas cruise operator Royal Caribbean, on Monday tested positive for COVID-19, despite austerity measures to rid tourist groups of new coronavirus outbreaks. This became known from the press release of the US-Norwegian cruise company Royal Caribbean Group, which owns the ship. The incident of infecting vaccinated travelers has only heightened fears that the new Omicron strain could hamper the recovery of the cruise industry.
Previously, cruise liners positioned themselves as one of the “safest” recreation options available in the summer of 2021, when the cruise sector in the United States resumed work with new covid protocols after a long stalemate due to the pandemic. According to the rules of the Royal Caribbean, all guests on board the liner from the age of 12 had to undergo a full course of vaccination and give a negative test result before departure. The operator also “strongly recommends” guests to be revaccinated before departure, but this is not a prerequisite for buying a tour.
Crew members also had to undergo a full vaccination, and were tested while sailing “at least once a week.” Unvaccinated children aboard the Symphony of the Seas were required to show a negative PCR result as well as a negative test result at the terminal before departure.
However, all these measures did not save from the outbreak of covid on board the ship and 48 tourists were infected with “omicron”. The world’s second-largest cruise operator said there were 6,091 guests and crew on board the ship, which completed a week-long cruise to Miami on Saturday after departing on December 11.
The statement said that “covid-positive” passengers either had mild symptoms or no signs of disease. It is also known that six guests were dropped off earlier and taken home. According to the cruise company, 95 percent of tourists on board were fully vaccinated, while 98 percent of those who tested positive were also vaccinated.
However, Royal Caribbean said it would not affect future Symphony routes.
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