A Royal Caribbean cruise ship had to cancel the rest of its sailing after hundreds of passengers and crew came down with a gastrointestinal illness.
Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were called in to investigate the Explorer of the Seas while it was in port in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Following the investigation, Royal Caribbean announced that the remainder of the 10-day Caribbean trip was cancelled as decided by the CDC and the company's medical team, the Associated Press reports.
"New reports of illness have decreased day-over-day, and many guests are again up and about. Nevertheless, the disruptions caused by the early wave of illness means that we were unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting," Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said in a statement according to the Associated Press.
Of the 3,050 passengers on board, the CDC found that 564 reported getting sick during the trip which left Cape Liberty, New Jersey on Tuesday. An additional 47 crew members also reported getting sick.
The illness to blame may be norovirus. Norovirus is common on cruise ships and spreads quickly, but tests would have to confirm that norovirus is the actual cause.
The cruise line said it was using special cleaning products and disinfectants that kill norovirus to clean the ship before it returned to the U.S. Once it is in its home port on Wednesday, a full sanitization will begin.
Passengers and crew members who fell sick were given over-the-counter medication on board, which seemed to be effective. Those who were sick were also quarantined and employees worked hard to monitor food and keep the ship clean.
Royal Caribbean said that passengers will be compensated for the short trip and those on future trips can be sure that the ship will be cleaned thoroughly.
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