50 test positive for coronavirus aboard Royal Caribbean ship

Fifty people tested positive for COVID-19 aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that departed from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday.

Royal Caribbean spokesperson Lyan Sierra-Caro confirmed to USA Today that 47 crew members and three passengers aboard the Odyssey of the Seas tested positive.

The ship, which is carrying 3,587 passengers and 1,599 crew members, is on an eight-day trip but briefly returned to port Sunday to disembark a passenger who had COVID-19, according to USA Today. 

The passengers and crew members who tested positive after that stop are in isolation.

“During routine weekly testing of our fully vaccinated crew members, there were test results that came back positive for COVID-19,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement. “Close contacts were quickly identified, and they each immediately went into quarantine.”

According to the company, the infected individuals are in good health and are being monitored by the ship’s on-board medical team.

“In an abundance of caution for the well-being of our guests and crew, adjustments have been made to Odyssey of the Seas’ schedule of shows and activities on board the Dec. 18 sailing,” the cruise company said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the infections on the ship, USA Today reported.

Royal Caribbean requires that all passengers over the age of 12 be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and test negative for the virus before boarding one of its ships. All crew members are required to be fully vaccinated.

These infections occurred about a week after 48 passengers and crew members tested positive for COVID-19 while onboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. According to the company, 98 percent of the people who tested positive were fully vaccinated along with 95 percent of the ship overall.

The people who tested positive on the Symphony of the Seas were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, the company said.