Coronavirus outbreak ends cruise for thousands on German ship stuck in Portugal
- The crew who had tested positive between Wednesday and Friday were transferred to Lisbon hotels and were in isolation there
- The AIDAnova, with 2,844 passengers and 1,353 crew on board, docked in Lisbon on December 29 while en route to the island of Madeira for New Year’s Eve celebrations
The German operator of a cruise ship that has been stuck in Lisbon’s port due to a coronavirus outbreak among its crew pulled the plug on its voyage on Sunday after some passengers tested positive, port authorities said.
The AIDAnova, with 2,844 passengers and 1,353 crew on board, docked in Lisbon on December 29 while en route to the island of Madeira for New Year’s Eve celebrations. It was unable to continue its journey after 52 cases of Covid-19 were detected among the fully vaccinated crew.
It had been allowed to leave port and head to the Spanish island of Lanzarote on Sunday, but now another 12 people have tested positive, including four passengers, captain of the port Diogo Vieira Branco told TSF radio.
“The company’s protocol was immediately actioned, with those infected, who are asymptomatic or displaying light symptoms, immediately isolated on the ship … and the company decided to end the cruise and disembark the passengers,” he said.
The passengers would be transported home by air, he added, without specifying when.
The company, AIDA Cruises, which is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp, did not reply to a request for comment.