After a scare for possible Coronavirus infections on Anthem of the Seas the ship will now have a delayed departure for the next sailing.
Anthem of the Seas Coronavirus Scare
This morning there was a scar aboard the Anthem of the Seas cruise ship when it returned to its homeport in Bayonne, New Jersey. Four guests on the sailing which ended today disembarked the Royal Caribbean vessel and were transferred to a hospital in Ambulances.
It was feared they possibly the Coronavirus but the good news is that is not the case. According to authorities the guests who were Chinese nationals are being tested but do not show any of the symptoms for the deadly Coronavirus.
However, just to be on the safe side, Royal Caribbean has decided to delay Anthem of the Seas‘ scheduled departure today until tomorrow, February 8 with embarkation at around 1:00 PM. The CDC has also given the all-clear for the vessel to depart.
This is to provide peace of mind to worried guests who plan on enjoying their cruise vacation to the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean has just released the following statement:
“You may have seen news about Anthem today and may be wondering about our guests and upcoming cruise. None of the four guests being tested by CDC showed any clinical signs and symptoms of coronavirus. One tested positive onboard for Influenza A.
We’ve confirmed these guests had not been in China since Jan 26 – 14 days ago. All other guests were permitted to disembark, and we have been cleared to continue with our next sailing.
To reassure our guests, we are delaying our departure until tomorrow, and providing hourly updates.”
As a result of the shorted voyage, guests will receive a refund of the missed day and it will be added to the onboard account. A pro-rated credit is also being offered to those who took out any pre-purchased packages including for drinks and internet.
There is only a minor change to the ports as Anthem of the Seas will be departing the Cape Liberty cruise port at 5:00 PM on Saturday. There will be one day at sea less and the new time for Port Canaveral on Monday are from 2:00 PM until 9:30 PM. The calls at Royal Caribbean’s private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay and then Nassau, both in the Bahamas will be as normal.
Also Read: Royal Caribbean Passengers Tested for Coronavirus After Arriving Back in New Jersey
The cruise line will also implement even tighter health measures including denying boarding for anyone with a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport no matter when they last visited those regions. Any guest or crew member that has been in close contact with someone who has traveled to the places mentioned above or been there themselves within the past 15 days will also be denied on any ship in the fleet. Extra screening and those who look at have possible symptoms will also be denied.
