Norway’s Hurtigruten expedition cruise line, the first ocean cruise company back in the water, has now had to take a big step back with 32 crewmembers testing positive for Covid-19 aboard the ship Roald Amundsen.
The ship had just returned from a trip to Norway’s Arctic territory of Svalbard, and all passengers from that cruise as well as those from the previous cruise are being tested for the virus and advised to self-isolate until their status is clear.
The trips began in June, limited to residents of specific countries in Europe. The company said it had implemented enhanced cleaning, added medical screenings and reduced capacity to ensure social distancing.
UPDATE
Two other early-return cruise lines have now been hit with similar outbreaks and have been forced to cancel plans. Paul Gauguin Cruise Lines, a subsidiary of French company Ponant cut short a cruise in French Polynesia, where the ship is based, after a passenger tested positive, and a small-ship operator in Alaska, Uncruise, has had to cut short a cruise and cancel further operations due to several shipboard positives.