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CANCELLED: COVID hits first cruise line to return to Carib’n waters

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It’s the tale of a beautiful dream that suddenly became a nightmare.

The Norwegian-based SeaDream Yacht Club — the first cruise line to sail in Caribbean waters since the global lockdown of the cruise industry in March — announced this week that it will be cancelling its remaining trips for 2020.

The cancellations are due to a COVID-19 outbreak on one of SeaDream’s vessels. Seven guests and two staff members returned positive COVID-19 results last week after being tested by Barbados health officials.

In a statement, SeaDream said it would be taking some time to “evaluate” future travel plans to see if it is possible to operate and have a high degree of certainty of not getting COVID.”

SeaDream had strict COVID-19 protocols for travellers. Coupled with the negative COVID-19 test results that are required by Barbadian officials, all arriving passengers had to do another test before they boarded the cruise ship. The onboarding process is also marked by regular sanitisation of both hands and luggage.

Passengers are also subjected to daily temperature checks for the duration of the cruise and will even have to do another test after four days on board.

But once passengers passed the initial tests and were cleared to board the SeaDream cruise vessel in Barbados, they were longer required to wear masks.

In announcing the 2020 cancellations, SeaDream said it’s strict protocols for travellers, “was not sufficient to prevent COVID-19 onboard”.

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10 Comments

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  1. Here says:

    Here it comes. Do to ongoing events the government of the BVI has decided to keep the borders closed to Jan 1 in the first instance. In the section instance the economy will collapse and in the third instance BVIslanders will all suffer and die unless you’re a politician or crony. That’s sums up the next Foy announcement. Any questions? Have a Merry Christmas.

    Like 23
    Dislike 9
  2. 6ix says:

    It’s about time we get over this and stop the foolishness. It’s the height of flu season in EUR/USA but yet not one news station is talking about people dying from the flu like they do every year, only COVID we keep hearing about with the fear mongering about skyrocketing deaths. I guess the Flu caught COVID and died so now COVID reigns supreme? GTFOH!! This cruise situation also shows that the testing is just a total farce and keeps nobody safe from anything. How can they all test negative multiple times yet the ship has cases, absolute rubbish. The focus should be on healthy living and sprucing up health facilities to just deal with it…

    Like 27
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  3. Local says:

    This virus is a really an invisible virus test before and after and still cases surface after sail maybe there is a message behide all this things will never be ad it was , bussiness will have close and travel will be a thing of the pass.

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  4. No joke says:

    We are disregarding the fact that the incubation period for COVID 19 is fourteen days not four or two days. This virus is not a joke it is real.

    Like 9
    Dislike 3
  5. Mimi says:

    Please check out Spanish Flu 1918 pandemic.
    This is not the first time this happen.

    Like 11
    Dislike 3
    • Django's cat says:

      You’re right. Now If you take the same percentage of Earth’s people killed by Spanish Flu in 1918 and extrapolate to 2021 population, you get about 350 million people going to die from Covid.
      What was your point?

      Like 1
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