Two passengers tested positive for the coronavirus at the end of the first cruise in North America since 2020.
“Today two guests sharing a stateroom onboard Celebrity Millennium tested positive for COVID-19 while conducting the required end of cruise testing,” Celebrity Millennium cruise line said in a statement on Thursday.
“The individuals are asymptomatic and currently in isolation and being monitored by our medical team. We are conducting contact tracing, expediting testing for all close contacts and closely monitoring the situation,” the company added.
These were the only two cases on a ship with more than 600 people, at least 95 percent of whom are vaccinated, Cruzely reported.
This was the first cruise in North America since the industry got shut down last year due to the pandemic.
The cruise started on Saturday at St. Maarten, and all passengers at the time had to either be fully vaccinated or show a negative coronavirus test from the previous 72 hours.
It is unclear if the two passengers who tested positive were vaccinated.
“This situation demonstrates that our rigorous health and safety protocols work to protect our crew, guests and the communities we visit,” the company said.
The passengers will stay in St. Maarten until they test negative for the virus and the cruise line will help them make plans to go home at the appropriate time, a spokesperson told ABC News.
The cruise had no social distancing requirements or mask mandates due to the limited capacity and most passengers being vaccinated.