Ten luxury cruise passengers who arrived at a Brooklyn port on Monday, after sailing across the Atlantic en route to the Caribbean, tested positive for COVID-19 and will now have to spend Christmas in freezing New York City, authorities said. .
All the travelers in the Queen Mary 2 from Cunard, which the company considers the “largest ocean liner in the world,” had to be fully vaccinated and tested for COVID-19 just before boarding the Southampton of Great Britain, which suggests that these were revolutionary cases.
A total of 1,473 passengers were on board the ship when it arrived in New York City, so infections account for less than 1% of all passengers on board. It is unclear how many crew members serve Queen Mary 2. But they won’t be serving these 10 for now.
“During routine testing, 10 guests (0.7%) tested positive for COVID-19 and are being disembarked in New York City in accordance with our protocol framework and due to the length and complexity of the following itinerary, which includes several ports of call and countries, “Cunard said in a statement.
“The ship follows a strict and approved framework of protocols that were developed with the government and public health authorities,” he continued.
Travelers with COVID-19 positive will have to isolate themselves in New York City, which is in the midst of an unprecedented viral wave almost two years after the pandemic, as the ship continues to the Caribbean. They can meet with Queen Mary 2 on January 3 when I return to New York City on the way back to England if they show negative evidence.
It is unclear how often the tests are performed on the ship, or if the required pre-shipment tests are a three-day window or more immediate. It was also not known which strain of COVID the travelers had or whether rapid tests were used.
The data indicates that the new Omicron variant replicates so rapidly in the airways, up to 70 times faster than the delta variant, that it is possible for a person’s COVID status to change more rapidly than with other strains. Experts say that if rapid tests are used, it is recommended that they be administered as close to travel time as possible.
Omicron is now the dominant variant in the US, federal health officials said Monday, accounting for about three-quarters of new infections last week. It is also expected to become the most widespread strain in the world.
The Queen Mary 2 It is not the only cruise ship affected by the Omicron surge. Almost 50 people on board the Symphony of the Seas than 7,000 Royal Caribbean passengers, which requires full vaccination for passengers 12 years and older, tested positive for COVID. They had been on a seven-night Caribbean excursion and returned to Miami on Saturday.
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