Royal Caribbean postponed the inaugural sailing of its cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas after eight vaccinated crew members tested positive for Covid-19, the company’s CEO said on Tuesday evening.
The positive tests come as major cruises lines are finally starting to set sail for the first time since the pandemic halted their movements.
The eight positive cases were discovered during routine testing of crew onboard the brand-new Odyssey of the Seas, Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“All 1,400 crew onboard Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4th and will be considered fully vaccinated on June 18. The positive cases were identified after the vaccination was given and before they were fully effective,” Bayley said.
The company pushed back the Odyssey’s inaugural sailing from July 3 to July 31. It was set to sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and make several stops in the Caribbean. Bayley said the June test cruise would be rescheduled.
“While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests,” Bayley said.
Six of the eight crew members who tested positive were asymptomatic, while two had mild symptoms. All eight were quarantined and are being closely monitored by the company’s medical team, Bayley said.
“To protect the remaining crew and prevent any further cases, we will have all crew quarantined for 14 days and continue our routine testing,” Bayley added.
Last month, Royal Caribbean became the first U.S. cruise line to be approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin test sailings ahead of a summer restart.
The CDC requires cruise lines to sail ‘simulated voyages’ with volunteer passengers before resuming normal operations out of the United States to test COVID-19-related protocols. The agency has made an exception for any cruise that sails with 98% of crew and 95% of passengers fully vaccinated.
