Twenty seven passengers catch Covid on cruise

All travellers who tested positive are vaccinated

Covid cases reported Carnival Vista cruise liner (Flickr)

Some 27 passengers have become infected with Covid-19 while on a cruise.

The outbreak occurred onboard Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Vista ship, which docked in Belize on Wednesday.

All travellers who tested positive for the virus have already been fully vaccinated.

“We are managing a small number of Covid cases onboard Vista,” a Carnival spokesperson said.

“Guests onboard both the previous and current sailing were informed and, specifically on the current sailing, the captain has made at least two announcements related to this.”

Most of those who’ve been infected are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, according to a statement from the Belize tourist board.

It added that 99.98 per cent of the 1,441 crew members and 96.5 per cent of the 2,895 passengers onboard have been vaccinated.

The passengers who tested positive for coronavirus have been isolated, and contact tracing has been completed.

Other cruisers have been permitted to go ashore in Belize for scheduled excursions.

However, they had to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test to disembark – those who could not fulfil this requirement were subject to “random testing” conducted by Belize's Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“Additional protocols have been put in place, including increased mask-wearing indoors, use of N95 masks by crew, crew social areas have been closed, and as early as the next departure, all guests will require a negative rapid test, regardless of whether they are vaccinated,” said the Belize tourism board.

It added that Belize’s Ministry of Health and Wellness had carried out an inspection of the protocols onboard the Carnival Vista and were “satisfied that they have been able to verify that the measures put in place by the ship are meticulous and deemed highly effective.”