The first cruise to resume in the Caribbean has been hit with positive cases of COVID-19 and the SeaDream luxury vessel has now returned to port with guests and crew in lockdown.
The voyage that was set to become a successful return to service and the first in the Caribbean since the pandemic first hit earlier in the year, has been cut short due to positive results.
COVID Hits Luxury SeaDream Vessel
So the SeaDream 1 luxury cruise has been forced to be put on pause and has returned to her homeport in Barbados. It all started after one passenger who was not feeling so well had a preliminary test that came back positive.
SeaDream Yacht Club has said that the preliminary rapid test was done immediately and the cruise line’s medical staff also tested all crew members with those results coming back negative.
Since then, it has come to light that more passengers have tested positive for the virus on board. According to Gene Sloan, a popular cruise blogger who is currently on board, six passengers have tested positive for the virus. There were hopes, that the first passenger who was tested would be a false positive but now that seems to not be the case.
SeaDream’s Andreas Brynestad, said:
“After completing a successful summer season in Norway, we implemented even stricter health and safety protocols for our Barbados winter season. All guests were tested twice prior to embarkation and we are in the process of re-testing guests.”
“We are working closely with local health and government authorities to resolve this situation in the best possible way. Our main priority is the health and safety of our crew, guests, and the communities we visit.”
Every crew member on board is certified for the WHO’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for novel coronavirus course and COVID-19 Contact tracing course from Johns Hopkins University. SeaDream also operated successfully in Norway earlier in 2020, with a total of 21 voyages completed.
What’s Happening Now?
Right now, the luxury vessel remains in port, and all non-essential crew members are under quarantine in their cabins. All guests are also remaining in their staterooms as a precaution while testing continues by the health authorities in Barbados. The cruise line is also awaiting authorization from the authorities to disembark the guests but that will depend on the testing.
It’s not yet known is the vessel will continue to offer Caribbean cruises and this could be a huge worry for cruise lines that have been waiting to resume operations for most of the year out of the U.S. It does all depend on what the Barbados government decides to do. There is no doubt the authorities will not risk its own residents with any new outbreak.
Also Read: How to Social Distance Effectively on a Cruise?
The SeaDream 1 was sailing a 7-day voyage in the Caribbean with calls to Union Island, St. Vincent, and the Grenadine Islands. The ship has a total of 53 passengers on board and 66 crew members.
This is developing news and Cruise Hive will post further updates once more is known.
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