48 COVID-19 infections on Royal Caribbean cruise 0:49
(CNN) -
A Royal Caribbean cruise ship was denied entry to two island nations after 55 fully vaccinated crew members and passengers contracted COVID-19 just days after the ship set sail from Fort Lauderdale, reported the Wednesday the Miami Herald.
The Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship was barred from entering Curacao and Aruba, effectively remaining at sea until its planned December 26 return to Fort Lauderdale, according to the newspaper.
A cruise ship with 7 positive cases of covid-19 arrives in Cartagena: disembarkation will not be allowed
Curacao health authorities refused to allow the ship to dock because the percentage of infected people on board was too high, the Curacao Chronicle reported.
Royal Caribbean cruise ship was unable to enter two island nations due to a covid-19 outbreak.
There were 51 positive cases on board Wednesday morning, according to Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth, a national epidemiologist for Curaçao.
"The day before yesterday, 18 crew members tested positive, yesterday 36 and this morning 51. In addition, several crew members have not been quarantined, so it is very likely that the passengers have also been infected," said Gerstenbluth.
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"With this number of infections, that percentage has been exceeded and, therefore, we are not eager to receive these people on the island, and even less with the current figures on the island," Gerstenbluth told the Curacao Chronicle.
According to Royal Caribbean, Odyssey of the Seas can accommodate up to 5,500 guests plus 1,600 crew members.
It was unclear if the ship was completely full on this trip.
The outbreak comes days after at least 48 people aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas tested positive for COVID-19 when the cruise ship docked in Miami, the company said.
The Symphony of the Seas, known for being the largest cruise ship in the world, carried more than 6,000 passengers and crew on a week-long trip to the Caribbean.
The number of people who tested positive represented 0.78% of the population on board.
Cartagena is on alert for cruise ship with 7 cases of covid-19 1:22
It is unclear whether the highly infectious omicron variant, which is currently spreading rapidly around the world, was responsible for the cases detected on any of the cruise ships.
Royal Caribbean rules dictate that all passengers 12 and older must be fully vaccinated and test negative prior to departure.
The cruise line says it "strongly recommends" that guests receive a booster dose before sailing, but this is not currently required.
Crew members must also be fully vaccinated and tested "at least once a week."
CNN's Andy Rose, Francesca Street and Lechelle Benken contributed to this report.
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