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Britain’s Sun newspaper is known for its colourful and sometimes alarming headlines – and one at the weekend took the biscuit: OH SHIP! Celebrity Millennium – Two passengers on first fully vaccinated cruise in North America test POSITIVE for Covid

The reality, however, appears to be far less alarming than the headline might suggest.

In a statement released at the weekend, Celebrity said: “Two guests sharing a stateroom onboard Celebrity Millennium tested positive for Covid-19 while conducting the required end of cruise testing.

“The individuals are asymptomatic and currently in isolation and being monitored by our medical team.

“We are conducting contact tracing, expediting testing for all those close contacts, and closely monitoring the situation.”

Test results for close contacts of the two passengers had come back negative, Royal Caribbean Group said later.

The cruise line appears to have handled the situation very well and there is no indication of further spread of the virus.

Passengers disembarked at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, as scheduled, and the two people who tested positive flew home by private aircraft.

So-called “breakthrough” coronavirus cases – in which people get infected after vaccination – are expected. Such cases also occur with vaccines for other diseases. Breakthrough Covid-19 infections affect “a small fraction of all vaccinated persons” and result in milder symptoms than in unvaccinated people, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published last week shows. More than a quarter of breakthrough cases are asymptomatic.

The cruise line said that all passengers were required before embarking to supply proof of vaccination plus a negative Covid test conducted within the previous 72-hours.

As for the other cruisers aboard – no problem at all! The cruise continued unaffected, with one passenger telling NBC Miami that other passengers seemed unconcerned, shipboard fun continued as normal, with dinners and shows, and nobody wearing masks.

The Port of Barbados, which the ship visited during the cruise, arranged a special, official welcome for Celebrity Millennium.

While other references mentioned the “first vaccinated cruise in North America”, Barbados Ports Inc took a slightly different tack on its Facebook page, saying: 

Celebrity Millennium became the first ship to sail with guests from North America in more than a year. The ship left St. Maarten on Saturday with 95% of its passengers and the entire crew fully vaccinated – making it the largest COVID-19-vaccinated cruise in the world so far. 

Just under 600 guests were on board, some of whom disembarked for pre-booked, cruise line-approved “bubble tours” between the vessel and the shore excursion points.

https://www.facebook.com/2160302297400507/posts/4147037522060298/

Note: “95% of passengers”. This prompted one Facebook user, Nicky Pearson, to comment: “Hmmm, 5% of passengers not vaccinated. Let’s hope they tested before getting off the ship”.

Another Facebook user mentioned that other reports had said “all adult passengers” had been vaccinated, so the unvaccinated may have been children. At which Pearson conceded: “ah OK, that would make sense”.

Barbados, highly dependent on tourism, welcomed Celebrity Millennium when the ship sailed into the Port of Bridgetown. It was the Caribbean island’s first commercial cruise in 15 months. Passengers were tested before getting off the ship.

Celebrity’s website gives anyone booking a Celebrity cruise that’s sailing on or before 31 October 2021 the following reassurance at no extra charge: “100% cruise fare refund for you, and your Traveling Party, if any of you tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to the cruise or at the boarding terminal.” 

Other guarantees:

  • Pro-rated cruise fare refund for anyone who has their cruise cut short due to testing positive for COVID-19 or being suspected of having COVID-19 during the cruise.
  • If you test positive for COVID-19 during the cruise, Celebrity Cruises will cover the costs of COVID-19 related medical treatment onboard, any required land-based quarantine, and travel home for you and your Traveling Party.

MEANWHILE demands are mounting for fully vaccinated Australians to be given their freedom – meaning that they should be granted exemption from border closures. At the moment, that would be unfair on young people, some of whom are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

Once vaccination becomes fully available for everyone, however, the prize of freedom to travel would be a powerful incentive to get the jab. No jab, no fly.

Written by Peter Needham