Royal Caribbean Postpones Cruise Ship Maiden Voyage After Crew Members Test Covid Positive

(RTTNews) - Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) on Wednesday postponed the inaugural run of its cruise ship "Odyssey of the Seas" after eight crew members, who had been vaccinated, were found to be Covid positive. The crew members tested positive during a random testing, said President and CEO Michael Bayley in a statement.

The cruise ship was supposed to have its maiden sail on July 3 but now the voyage has been pushed back to the end of the month, July 31. The ship was all set to sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and make several stops in the Caribbean.

The ship's maiden voyage was very significant as it was taking place almost a year after the cruise industry was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and was slowly getting back on its tracks.

Bayley said, "All 1,400-crew onboard Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4 and will be considered fully vaccinated on June 18. The positive cases were identified after the vaccination was given and before they were fully effective."

The company said that out of the eight positive cases, six have no symptoms while the other two have mild ones. They have been quarantined and are under close medical monitoring, Royal Caribbean added.

The company said that the remaining crew will also be quarantined for 14 days and routine testing will be conducted to prevent the occurrence of more cases.