The first cruise out of Alaska amid the coronavirus pandemic, run by UnCruise Adventures, was cut short after a passenger tested positive for Covid-19, marking the latest in a string of recent cruises run aground by the coronavirus as the hard-hit cruise industry has attempted to resume operations.
The UnCruise Adventures voyage, which departed August 1 and was exempt from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “No Sail Order” due to its small size, returned to its port in Juneau, Alaska, after the passenger received their positive test result on Tuesday.
Passengers were tested before departing for Alaska and again when they arrived, UnCruise Adventures CEO Captain Dan Blanchard told ABC News—with results not always being available before embarking on the cruise, as in the case of the infected passenger.
UnCruise Adventures, whose operations followed social distancing guidelines, has now canceled its remaining Alaska cruises in 2020, and passengers on the affected ship are now quarantining.
The Alaskan cruise follows multiple other recent Covid-19-related cruise incidents: Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten suspended operations after at least 41 passengers and crew contracted Covid-19, and another Norwegian cruise ship, the SeaDream, docked in port and kept passengers confined onboard Wednesday after a passenger on a previous cruise tested positive for Covid-19.
Passengers onboard the Paul Gaugin cruise ship in Tahiti were also kept onboard Monday after a passenger tested positive for Covid-19, and at least 10 crew members onboard Germany’s AIDA cruise ships contracted the coronavirus ahead of the cruise line resuming voyages in August.
The U.S. cruise industry announced this week that it would suspend sailings through at least October 31, extending cancellations by a month.
“This has been a bit of a ‘Come to Jesus’ moment about how easily, with even proper testing, somebody got on board,” Blanchard told ABC News Friday.
Cruise ships have been a major source of concern regarding Covid-19 transmission since the pandemic began, with a number of high-profile outbreaks including the Diamond Princess cruise ship where more than 700 passengers tested positive. CDC data published by the New York Times found that more than 100 cruise ships in the U.S. alone had Covid-19 outbreaks, causing more than 3,000 people to contract the virus, while only 15 of the 121 ships in U.S. waters after March 1 did not have outbreaks onboard. As a result, the cruise industry has been particularly battered by the pandemic, with Carnival reporting a $4.4 billion loss in its second quarter and Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines seeing their shares plunge by at least 55% to 70% this year.
Alaska cruise cut short after passenger tests positive for COVID-19 (ABC News)
Norwegian Cruise Line Hurtigruten Apologizes, Suspends Travel After New Coronavirus Outbreak (Forbes)
Most Cruises Are Now Canceled Until At Least November (Forbes)
Cruise Lines, Facing Record Losses, Extend Suspension Of Sailing Until September (Forbes)
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I am a New York-based journalist covering breaking news at Forbes. I previously covered politics and news for Vanity Fair and Mic, and as a theater critic I serve as a
I am a New York-based journalist covering breaking news at Forbes. I previously covered politics and news for Vanity Fair and Mic, and as a theater critic I serve as a member of the New York Outer Critics Circle. Follow me on Twitter @alisond64 or get in touch at [email protected].