At least 10 people aboard a
Norwegian Cruise Line
ship
with more than 3,200 passengers on board approaching New Orleans tested positive for the coronavirus, authorities reported Saturday night.
The
Norwegian Breakaway
had departed from New Orleans on November 28 and was due to
return this weekend, according to
the Louisiana Department of Health said in a press release quoted by the AP.
The ship made a stop last week in
Belize, Honduras and Mexico.
Norwegian Breakaway left New Orleans on November 28 and is scheduled to return this weekend.Richard Drew / AP
According to the statement, the company "has adhered to appropriate isolation and quarantine protocols as new cases and exposures have been identified aboard this ship."
[The delta variant and not the omicron is responsible for the increase in COVID-19 cases in the US]
Before disembarking in New Orleans, everyone on board will be tested for the coronavirus.
Those who test positive will go directly home or isolate themselves
as a preventive measure,
in accommodations provided by the cruise company.
The authorities did not provide any information on the conditions of the people who have contracted the virus.
The omicron variant of COVID-19 triggers the demand for vaccines in the US and pharmacies cannot keep up
Dec. 5, 202100: 24
Cruise ships were one of the first sources of outbreaks last year at the beginning of the pandemic.
Some ships were turned away from ports
and passengers were forced into quarantine.
[Podcast: 48 days of anguish trapped on an Antarctic cruise ship by the coronavirus]
Some of those on board died of COVID-19 at sea, while others became seriously ill to the point of having to be removed from the ships on stretchers.
Brazil is the first country in Latin America to report cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19
Dec. 5, 202101: 50
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a no-sail order in March 2020, causing a stoppage that ended last June, when cruise ships began leaving US ports with new health requirements.
[Carnival cruises will require passengers 12 years and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19]
According to
Norwegian's
website
, the company requires that all passengers and crew members have been vaccinated against the virus at least two weeks before departure.