A cruise ship carrying more than 200 people docked in a Norwegian harbor Wednesday and ordered to keep everyone on board, after a passenger from a previous trip tested positive for the coronavirus upon returning home to Denmark.
It comes just days after 35 crew members and 44 guests on another cruise ship have tested positive for Covid-19. The cruise company Hurtigruten said that the 177 passengers, all of whom have already disembarked, are being contacted by telephone and are being told to self-isolate.
Bodoe Mayor Ida Pinneroed said that the SeaDream 1′s 85 crew members would all be tested for the virus and that authorities were in contact with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health on whether the 123 passengers should be as well. It is not immediately clear if the ship would remain under quarantine.
SeaDream Yacht Club, the company that owns the ship, said the former passenger had no symptoms of COVID-19 during the earlier voyage. However, the person underwent a routine virus test upon returning home and it came back positive on Tuesday.
The cruise ship industry is pressing to resume sailings after shutting down in March due to the coronavirus crisis. Hurtigruten was one of the first companies to resume sailing during the pandemic.
On Monday, Norway said it will stop all cruise ships with more than 100 people on board from disembarking at Norwegian ports.
