5 passengers have tested positive for coronavirus while on the first cruise ship to resume sailing in the Caribbean since the start of the pandemic, CNBC reports.
Torbjorn Lund, captain of the SeaDream I, made the announcement of the first positive test on Wednesday through a ship wide address where he asked all 53 passengers to remain inside their cabins. All nonessential crew members were also required to self-isolate. There are 66 crew members in total, none of which were reported to have tested positive.
The vessel departed Barbados on Saturday to begin what would’ve been a week-long trip, but the SeaDream I cut the journey short to return to Barbados. Gene Sloan, writer for The Points Guy, is one of the guests on board providing updates on the progress of the voyage.
Sloan said all passengers had to not only test negative several days prior to boarding, but also on the day of boarding. He believes the company ideally wanted to create a bubble-like environment for the passengers that would allow them to briefly return to normalcy without the fears of contracting the virus. When the vessel made stops, passengers wouldn't mingle with locals and they were ushered to empty beaches.
Sloan notes that passengers needed to practice social distancing, while the use of a face covering went into effect two days into the voyage.
"Immediately after performing the preliminary rapid Covid test onboard and receiving the assumptive positive results, SeaDream advised local health authorities and set in motion its Covid response protocols to protect guests and crew," SeaDream said in a statement. "The ship’s medical staff has tested all crew members and all tests have come back negative. SeaDream is currently re-testing all guests."
Lund notified passengers that the SeaDream I was expected to arrive at Barbados by late Wednesday evening. Once they arrived at Barbados, health officials boarded the ship and conducted another round of tests on all passengers and crew.
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