Crew Members for German-based Aida Cruises have tested positive for COVID-19 but the cruise line still plans to resume sailings as scheduled.
Aida Crew Members Test Positive
Ten crew that have arrived in Germany in preparations for the start of cruise operations by Aida Cruises have tested positive for COVID-19. According to local reports, 750 crew members arrived last Wednesday at Rostock airport from countries in Asia.
On one of the flights from Manila, 10 crew members tested positive after arriving in Germany. This was the second test as all crew members underwent the first test before their flight departure which all came back negative.
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At the moment the infected crew is all in strict quarantine in Germany and it is important to know that nine of them were not showing any symptoms. One of the crew did show very minor symptoms and has not needed any further medical care. They are set to ben tested for a third time today.
Even though some crew has tested positive for the virus Carnival-owned Aida Cruises sill plans on resuming cruise operations in August. AIDAperla will become the first in the fleet to start cruises from August 5, 2020, out of Hamburg followed by AIDAmar on August 12 out of Rostock and then AIDAblu from Kiel on August 16. The remainder of the fleet will stay on hold until September.
Related: Cruise Line Suspends All Sailings to the U.S. and Canada Until 2021
More crew members are expected to arrive in Germany as the cruise line prepares to restart cruises. However, these sailings will not be calling at any ports and only with a limited capacity. New health protocols are also being introduced to keep the crew and guests safe.
The good news is that the health procedures are working and stopping any cases from getting onboard. Let’s hope the cases reman low so the cruise line won’t need to extend its pause on operations.
The cruise line has suspended all cruises to the United States and Canada until 2021 but Aida mainly operates for the German market.
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