Passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in Bayonne, New Jersey were being screened for novel coronavirus solely out of "an abundance of caution," the Centers for Disease Control said in a statement Friday.
The four passengers on the Anthem of the Seas who are being tested are part of a family that "has a travel history to mainland China, but not a history of travel to Hubei Province," according to the CDC. Two members of the family reported feeling ill while aboard the cruise, which left Cape Liberty in Bayonne on January 27th and traveled to several Caribbean ports before returning Friday.
The CDC and the New Jersey Department of Health decided to "test all 4 family members for 2019-Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) out of an abundance of caution. New Jersey Department of Health will facilitate the specimen collection, and the samples will be sent to CDC for testing," the CDC said.
“Personnel from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention boarded a cruise ship docked in Bayonne this morning and screened 27 passengers who recently traveled from mainland China," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement Friday. "After being assessed by the CDC, 23 of those passengers were cleared and four individuals are being evaluated at an area hospital. The hospital is following proper infection control protocols while evaluating these individuals. New Jersey currently has no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and the risk to residents remains low.”
Royal Caribbean International said in tweets Friday that none of the passengers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus at this time.
The company added, "like airlines, we are participating in elevated levels of guest screening to check the spread of coronavirus. We are closely monitoring developments regarding coronavirus and have rigorous medical protocols in place onboard our ships. We continue to work in close consultation with the CDC, the WHO, and local health authorities to align with their guidance and ensure the health and wellbeing of our guests and crew."
Royal Caribbean posted a notice on its website Thursday that the company would now bar any passenger or crewmember -- of any nationality -- from embarking their ships if the person had traveled in the past 15 days to mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau.
The company is also planning to perform extra screenings at cruise terminals on passengers who have "been in contact with individuals that have traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau in the last 15 days" as well as "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."
The company added, "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."
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis said in a tweet all other Anthem of the Seas passengers have been released "with no action needed" because the CDC deems the situation "below low risk:"
The cruise ship is one of the largest in Royal Caribbean's fleet with a nearly 5,000-passenger capacity. The ship was due to head out again today on another cruise, though the company told a passenger "we're still monitoring and will be sure to update you ASAP" on the status of that trip.
There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the tri-state area, though five New Yorkers have had their samples sent for testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first case, reported on Saturday, has been ruled out after city health officials announced that the result was negative. Coronavirus was also ruled out in a second case; the number of pending suspected cases is now three.
Another cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, was docked off of Yokohama, Japan after more than 60 passengers there tested positive for the coronavirus, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. The 3,700 passengers and crew are all quarantined aboard the ship.
UPDATE: Royal Caribbean released a statement Friday that one of the passengers "tested positive onboard for Influenza A" and that none of the four tested passengers have actually shown any signs or symptoms of coronavirus. The family were last in China January 26th and not in the Hubei Province where the epidemic started. The Anthem of the Seas has "been cleared by authorities to depart on our next cruise as usual" though the company is delaying departure for the next trip until the CDC sends back conclusive test results Saturday.
With Katherine Fung/WNYC
