Thursday, December 9, 2021
At least three additional crew members are infected with COVID-19 on the Norwegian Breakaway, according to a knowledgeable crew member on the cruise ship who wishes to remain anonymous.
This crew member also informed us that there are nine crew members in isolation on the ship due to close contact with other infected crew members.
The three additional infected crew members at this time include a recreational staff member, a stateroom attendant and and a musician.
The Norwegian Breakaway arrived in Roatan this morning during its current cruise to the Caribbean, after its was delayed leaving New Orleans this weekend.
So Far, at Least Twenty People Infected with COVID-19
As we previouly reported, this past weekend the Norwegian Breakaway returned to New Orleans after a week-long cruise to the Caribbean with what the Louisiana Department of Health initially reported to be ten COVID-19 cases involving cruise guests and crew members.
Additional testing, once the ship returned to port, revealed an additional seven coronavirus cases, for a total of seventeen cases so far (and counting), This total does not including the three infected crew members who we learned of today.
After the outbreak became public last Sunday, (after tweets by the Louisiana Board of Health), Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) issued press statements stating that there were only a “handful” (i.e., five or so) positive cases.
The infection count would undoubtedly rise as the over 3,200 guests disperse around the country and the over 1,600 crew members continue working on the cruise ship.
How Many More People Will Become Infected?
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) stated that all of the passengers would undergo testing before they disembarked the cruise ship.
NCL also stated that it would provide home COVID-19 tests for the guests to take with then when they disembarked the ship. On first glance, this is a prudent (although inadequate) step because the incubation period for COVID-19 is anywhere from two to fourteen days.
It is doubtful that more than just a few guests on this cruise who return home will voluntarily begin a period of isolation, so the potential for further spread of the virus is very real.
Omicron on the NCL Cruise Ship
Included in the outbreak is one crew member who is positive with the Omicron variant, according to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).
NCL subsequently explained that this infected crew member is from South Africa and had been under quarantine during the entire cruise which began on November 28th. It actually raises more questions than provides answers.
It is less than clear when this crew member first tested positive for COVID-19 or when NCL first learned that the Omicron variant was involved.
Was this crew member a new employee who joined the ship and required to a standard ten-day quarantine like all incoming employees who join the ship or did he or she work while infected for some period of time and infect other crew members and guests? NCL is not stating.
There are now housands of guests who have dispersed across the U.S. who will need to be tested for the next ten days or so.
A “Handful” of “Asymptomatic” Guests & Crew Members?
NCL claimed that all of those infected are allegedly asymptomatic, which remains to be seen.
Of course, this is the same cruise line which falsely claimed that the outbreak intially involved only a “handful” of cases when the actual count is now at least twenty infected guests and crew members.
In any event, it is potentially dangerous for anyone suspected of COVID-19 to remain on a cruise ship given the fact that the shipboard ventilation / air conditioning systems potentially permit the airborne virus to spread and infect others.
