At least 41 people have contracted COVID-19 after a cruise aboard the MS Roald Amundsen operated by Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten. The ship was on an excursion to the arctic island of Svalbard.
Five passengers and 36 crew members have tested positive for the virus. This was after four crew members initially displayed symptoms and were admitted to hospital after the ship returned to its port in Tromso.
The cruise line has halted all further cruises for the next 14 days.
The crew members included foreign workers from the Philippines, France and Germany, as well as Norwegian locals. The foreign crew had been tested for the virus before leaving their home countries, but did not quarantine before starting work on the ship, the company said according to scmp.
Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam has apologised for the outbreak, saying that there was a ‘failure in several of our internal procedures,’ according to NY Daily News.
‘We have made mistakes,’ Skjeldam added on Monday, August 3. ‘On behalf of all of us in Hurtigruten, I am sorry for what has happened. We take full responsibility.’
All passengers had embarked before those infected were diagnosed, but have since been contacted and asked to self-isolate for 10 days.
All further voyages with more than 100 passengers have been put on hold for the next 14 days as per government regulations, according to Forbes.
Image: Twitter/DLRenovate
