Due to the emergence of norovirus, a stomach virus, on board, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship is forced to end its voyage and return to Florida earlier than planned.
"Norovirus has infected 277 passengers and crew members of one of the "The world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, was damaged during a voyage to Jamaica. The ship will return to Florida on Saturday instead of Sunday. More than 8,000 passengers will receive a full refund for the cruise," CBS News reports.
As it turned out, the ship departed for Jamaica last Sunday. Three days later, on Wednesday, as soon as the ship arrived at the island's port, passengers began complaining en masse on social media that they were barred from disembarking, even though they had a scheduled excursion that day.
CBS News also reports that the ship will be completely disinfected upon arrival in Florida. Norovirus is a contagious stomach infection that can be spread through food, water, utensils, and even through contact with someone already infected. It's possible to avoid infection, of course, by practicing strict hygiene.
According to experts, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship is popular with tourists. Andrey Mikhailovsky, CEO of Infoflot Cruise Center, commented on the incident to Travel Russian News:
"The Oasis of the Seas is quite popular on the Russian market. However, we cannot provide precise information on the current number of Russians on board the ship, as many companies sell Royal Caribbean International products in Russia. There are currently no tourists on board from Infoflot directly. As for the coronavirus, it's unlikely to be a common occurrence in the cruise industry. However, there is a general risk of it occurring in confined spaces where large groups of people gather. Our only advice is to practice maximum hygiene."
Source: trn-news.ru