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55 people on Royal Caribbean cruise test positive for COVID-19
Will an omicron outbreak cause cruise lines to shut down again? The concerns come after 55 people onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19. Cruise officials say that represents about 1% of the people on board. Officials said 95% of passengers were fully vaccinated.
LAKE MARY, Fla. - Will an omicron outbreak cause cruise lines to shut down again?
Not according to cruise expert Stewart Chiron of CruiseGuy.com.
"I dreaded getting off my ship because I felt safer on the cruise than I would at home," he said.
The concerns come after 55 people onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19.
Cruise officials say that represents about 1% of the people on board.
Officials said 95% of passengers were fully vaccinated.
"We don’t know if the people near us are vaccinated, but on a cruise we know it," Chiron said.
Odyssey of the Seas will now stay at sea and skip its last two stops and head back to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.
"It’s not that they were denied to visit Curaçao and Aruba. There are extensive protocol plans in place between all of the cruise lines and all of the ports," Chiron said.
Chiron says cruise lines have backup plans already in place ever since they relaunched because of the pandemic.
Last weekend, Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas arrived in Miami after 48 people tested positive there.
"Right now, these ships are not operating at full capacity on purpose," Chiron said.
Many cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, are now asking people to wear masks while indoors.
Instead of stopping, Chiron said he thinks the COVID surge will make cruise lines double down on safety precautions.
"Cruising is very safe. I am not at all concerned."