Covid-19 scare unfolds aboard first cruise to resume sailing in the Caribbean

(CNN) — A Covid-19 scare is the very last thing the cruise trade wants because it eases again into the Caribbean.

The ship, which was within the Grenadines on the time, instantly headed again to Barbados, the place it docked that night.

The captain introduced that every one 66 crew members had examined detrimental for the coronavirus, Sloan instructed CNN’s Patrick Oppmann on Thursday. There are additionally 53 passengers on board, he mentioned.

Sloan mentioned crew members instructed him that if all different passengers examined detrimental, they could be capable of go away their cabins quickly after which disembark from the ship within the coming days.

SeaDream 1 is the primary cruise vessel to renew crusing within the Caribbean for the reason that begin of the pandemic.

Intercom announcement of optimistic take a look at end result

Sloan reported that the Covid scare began when the captain knowledgeable passengers of the preliminary optimistic take a look at over the ship’s intercom system shortly earlier than lunchtime on Wednesday.

Passengers have been instructed to return to their cabins and stay remoted there, he mentioned.

The affect on the trade of the incident “will rely partly on how this case unfolds within the coming hours and days,” Sloan instructed CNN Journey through e mail from his cabin on board. “But it surely’s not a terrific improvement for the cruise trade. I believe the hope had been that the rigorous testing that SeaDream was doing would preserve Covid off its ship.”

Passengers have been examined each prematurely of touring to the ship and in addition earlier than boarding the ship, Sloan mentioned.

“And SeaDream additionally was testing passengers 4 days into the journey,” he mentioned. “We have been scheduled to be examined once more right this moment. That is a extra rigorous testing plan than most traces had been discussing for the restarts.”

That rigor is due partly to the strict testing required by Barbados, the place the ship shall be primarily based for the season, Sloan famous.

Voyages from Barbados

The road was assured in its security precautions when it introduced its winter voyages from Barbados, which began on November 7. The Caribbean sailings adopted a profitable summer season season for SeaDream in Norway, which the road mentioned “resulted in zero optimistic instances throughout the complete Norwegian summer season season.”

“As the primary luxurious line to start crusing once more, now we have realized many classes and are assured we are able to present a secure setting with out sacrificing luxurious,” mentioned SeaDream’s Andreas Brynestad within the September announcement outlining the Barbados voyages.

Along with Barbados, the itineraries embrace calls in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, that are all open to Individuals.

Fewer than 250 company

SeaDream’s ships, which the corporate refers to as “superyachts,” have 56 staterooms, with a capability for 112 company and 95 crew.

Carrying fewer than 250 company outdoors of US waters permits SeaDream to function outdoors of the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention’s orders round cruising.

The CDC lately issued a “Framework for Conditional Crusing Order for Cruise Ships.”

The order, which applies to cruise ships in US territorial waters which have capability to hold no less than 250 passengers, is taken into account a tentative step towards the resumption of cruising.

Photograph from SeaDream Yacht Membership. CNN’s Patrick Oppmann and Tamara Hardingham-Gill contributed to this report.