Carinival Corporation, the world’s biggest cruise and travel leisure company, is back in the headlines related to Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The liner, called the Grand Princess, was on a voyage to Hawaii with a stop in Mexica, when it was ordered to return to port in San Francisco. The ship has a capacity of 2,600 guests and 1,150 crew.
Health officials claim that at least one former passenger has died after a recent cruise. They claim the elderly passenger was the first person in California to die from the virus, after being hospitalized in Placer County, California with exposure likely happening during the trip.
Carnival said in a letter sent to the passengers that the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention had told them of an investigation into a “small cluster” of Covid-19 cases in California that were tied to the ship’s voyage.
Placer County officials think that other passengers may have been exposed as well, and that they were working with the CDC to get in touch with and notify them.
The website for Carnival has an advisory from Chief Medical Officer, Grant Tarling, advising guests on the cruise to seek immediate medical attention if they are experiencing any symptoms of the virus. In an open letter to the passengers of the ship, they were told to remain in their staterooms until cleared by medical personnel. They were told they were able to order room service while they wait.
The company says that many passengers stayed on the ship for the voyage to Hawaii after the stop in Mexico, and that they are taking precautionary measures aboard the ship, such as barring passengers from serving themselves from the buffet.
Carnival is also the operator of the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship where dozens of passengers tested positive for the coronavirus after it docked in Japan in January. That ship was in quarantine for two weeks.
More travelers are dropping out of travel plans out of fear of the coronavirus, and it is not the only industry affected by it. Today, the new James Bond film was postponed until November because of concern for the virus.
