What is it like to travel on a cruise ship in the era of covid-19?
4:04
(CNN) -
The number of positive COVID-19 cases among crew and passengers aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Breakaway cruise ship has risen to 17, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
The ship landed in New Orleans on Sunday and 10 cases of Covid-19 had previously been detected.
All crew members and passengers are fully vaccinated and all 10 initially reported cases were asymptomatic, the cruise line said in a statement Sunday.
CNN reached out to the cruise company to discuss the latest developments.
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"Governor John Bel Edwards, the Louisiana Department of Health, the City of New Orleans and the Port of New Orleans are aware of and working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ) to put in place existing covid-19 agreements and protocols with the cruise line, "the city said in a press release Saturday.
Wade Berry said he was on the boat with three friends, celebrating his recovery from cancer, but did not learn of the positive cases until he read the statement from the New Orleans mayor's office sent to him by his sister.
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Everyone on board underwent the tests on Saturday, while the ship was still at sea, Berry told CNN as he traveled from New Orleans to his home in Dallas on Sunday.
"We've been on two cruises before this one and we didn't have to do any tests. It was very shocking and completely out of the ordinary."
Berry said he believed it was due to new government regulations requiring testing.
Saturday night "everything was normal," he said.
"The show went on and the bars were open. Everything was normal."
When he asked the ship's medical team about the cases, they told him they would have notified and isolated him if he had tested positive.
"I think they should have told us something," he said.
The passengers were given a test to take at home in three days, Berry said.
The US averages more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, the highest level in two months
New cases of covid-19 in the United States now exceed the 100,000 a day average, shortly after millions of Americans traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The seven-day moving average of new cases was 121,437 as of Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Before this week, the last time the United States passed the 100,000 cases per day mark was in early October.
Norwegian Breakaway sailed from New Orleans on November 28 with 3,200 people and made stops in Belize and Mexico.
The ship was scheduled to return to New Orleans on Sunday, according to the cruise company's official website.
The cruise line is complying with relevant isolation and quarantine protocols, according to the statement.
All people who disembark in New Orleans will have to be tested for covid-19.
Those who test positive will need to travel home in a personal vehicle or continue their isolation in accommodations provided by the cruise line.
"We take this matter very seriously and will continue to work closely with the CDC, the office of Governor John Bel Edwards, the Louisiana Department of Sanitation, as well as the city and port of New Orleans," said Norwegian Cruise Line.
There have been no changes to future trips scheduled for the ship, the cruise line said.
"We will provide additional updates to affected guests as appropriate," said Norwegian Cruise Line.
CruiseNorwegian Cruise Line
