Princess Cruises—which made headlines at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when Diamond Princess had to quarantine off the coast of Japan when an outbreak happened onboard—is back in the news nearly three years later due to another outbreak on one of its ships. According to USA Today, Majestic Princess returned to Sydney, Australia from New Zealand with at least 800 passengers infected with COVID-19. There are over 4,600 people onboard, including passengers and crew.
“We understand this current wave of COVID-19 is concerning to many in the community and we take our responsibility in keeping everyone safe very seriously,” Princess said in a statement provided to Travel Agent.
“We are working with all guests who have tested positive to COVID-19 to assist them with accessing private transport and accommodation to continue isolation when they disembark in Sydney on November 12. All positive cases will be separated from non-impacted guests when departing the ship.
“We also have a range of strict and robust measures in place to ensure our guests and crew are safe, as well as ensuring we limit the exposure of current cases in the community.”
Measures taken, according to the cruise line, included:
- All guests disembarking have undertaken a rapid antigen test within the past 24 hours, which determines how they will disembark the ship
- All guests are now masked, regardless of COVID status
- COVID positive guests will be separated from other guests during disembarkation
- The onboard medical team will continue to support guests until they disembark
- All guests have been informed on protocols and the importance of adhering to them
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