Coronavirus scare delays Anthem of the Seas sailing by one day

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Royal Caribbean today delayed the next sailing of its Anthem of the Seas from Bayonne, N.J. by one day. The cruise line made the move after morning TV newscasts showed passengers being taken off the ship by ambulance on its arrival in Port Liberty, Bayonne.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy tweeted:

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis tweeted:

Subsequently, Royal Caribbean issued the following statement:

We appreciate the CDC’s abundance of caution and their partnership. We understand CDC intends to test samples from four guests for coronavirus. None of the four guests showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus while they were onboard our ship. One had tested positive onboard for Influenza A. Our records indicate the guests had not been in China since January 26 — 14 days ago.

All other guests have been permitted to disembark as usual. We have also been cleared by authorities to depart on our next cruise as usual. However, to reassure concerned guests, we will delay our departure until tomorrow, when we expect to receive conclusive test results from CDC.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

That statement came one day after Royal Caribbean imposed coronavirus-related travel restrictions on passengers who had recently traveled to or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau.

Following is the text of that announcement.

Wuhan Coronavirus Travel Restrictions:
After consultation with medical experts and public health authorities, regardless of nationality, any guest or crew member traveling from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships.
Additionally, we’ve tightened our health screening requirements and the following guests will need to undergo extra screenings to ensure safety at the cruise terminal:

Anyone that has been in contact with individuals that have traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau in the last 15 days.

Anyone that holds a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport – regardless of when they were there last.

Anyone that feels unwell or demonstrates flu-like symptoms.

These measures will help reduce the potential for the virus to further spread, and will ensure the health of our guests and crew. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding.

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