Lisbon, Jan. 3 (BNA): The German operator of a cruise ship stuck in the Lisbon port due to the coronavirus outbreak among its crew halted the plug on the voyage on Sunday after some passengers tested positive for the virus, port authorities said. .
The AIDAnova ship, which had 2,844 passengers and 1,353 crew members on board, docked in Lisbon on December 29 as it headed to Madeira for New Year’s Eve celebrations, but was unable to continue the voyage after 52 cases of COVID-19 were detected from among all patients. A vaccinated crew, according to Reuters.
She was allowed to leave the port and head for the Spanish island of Lanzarote on Sunday, port captain Diogo Vieira Branco told TSF radio, but 12 other people tested positive, including four passengers.
“The company’s protocol was implemented immediately, with those infected, who did not show symptoms or show mild symptoms, immediately isolated on board the ship … and the company decided to end the trip and disembark the passengers,” he said.
He added that the passengers will be transported to their homes by air, without specifying when.
AIDA Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Reuters footage showed passengers still enjoying the sun on the rooftops with their drinks, and local media said disembarkation would begin after six in the morning on Monday.
The crew, who tested positive between Wednesday and Friday, were taken to Lisbon hotels and quarantined there.
On Thursday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised people to avoid travel on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status.
The move dealt another blow to an industry that only returned to the seas in June after a months-long suspension of flights due to the pandemic.