More than two dozen fully vaccinated people aboard a Carnival cruise tested positive for the CCP virus, according to the Belize Tourism Board.
The Carnival Vista, which was carrying over 1,400 crew and nearly 2,900 passengers, arrived in Belize City on Wednesday with 26 crew members and one guest infected with COVID-19, the disease that is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the board said in a statement.
Officials noted that 99.98 percent of the crew has been vaccinated, along with more than 96 percent of the passengers.
Everyone who tested positive was vaccinated and most of them are “asymptomatic” or are experiencing “very mild symptoms.”
The ship’s infected crew members are now in isolation and additional protocols have been implemented, including mask-wearing and the use of N95 masks for the crew, along with closures of employee social areas.
“The team at Carnival noted that all positive cases have been isolated and contact tracing has ended with no additional positive cases found, and that the infected crew and passenger do not pose a threat to guests, crew or frontline workers in Belize,” the statement read.
All the guests aboard the cruise are required to undergo rapid testing and it has to show negative prior to leaving the ship at the next port, even if they are vaccinated, officials said.
Carnival is requiring passengers to be vaccinated, though there are exceptions for children and people with medical issues. The cruise line said in a statement Aug. 4 that passengers must wear a mask in certain indoor areas, and provide a negative COVID test within three days of embarkment for cruises beginning Aug. 14.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website that it had investigated the Carnival Vista and the ship remains under observation.
“With the stringent protocols, it is inevitable that COVID cases will be detected, but it is imperative that these situations are handled correctly to avoid further spread or unnecessary cancelations,” the cruise line said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
