Holland America cruise skips Mexico stop after positive Covid-19 tests
SAN DIEGO – A Holland America Line cruise ship was on its way back to port on Saturday after Mexican health authorities refused to allow guests to land in Puerto Vallarta after positive Covid-19 tests on board.
The health department of the Mexican state of Jalisco said 21 crew members on board the ship tested positive for Covid upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta on Thursday.
It said that the passengers’ potential exposure means that they are not allowed to go ashore.
“Through on-board testing, we have confirmed that a small number of fully vaccinated crews at Koningsdam tested positive for COVID-1[ads1]9,” Holland America said in a statement. “Everyone shows mild or no symptoms and is isolated. Close contacts have been quarantined due to an abundance of caution.”
The cruise line said the ship left Puerto Vallarta after a last-minute announcement from authorities that the guest would not be allowed ashore.
The ship was expected to return to San Diego on Sunday, the cruise line said.
The ship has 874 crew and 1035 passengers and was on a cruise that included stops in Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán, said the health authorities in Jalisco.
They said one crew member was positive on December 18, and that the ship left San Diego the next day. It is not clear if that crew member was on board.
Guests must show proof of full vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test taken within two days of boarding the ship, in accordance with the health and safety guidelines of the cruise lines.
It is unclear how local health authorities will handle the cases after the ship returns. The health department in the county did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Port of San Diego website does not have protocol information for travelers in such a situation.
The port resumed cruises in the middle of a landslide in the number of pandemic cases on 1 October.
The eruption came when the Florida-based cruise ship Carnival Freedom was denied access to Bonaire and Aruba after an unknown number of Covid cases on board the vessel, Carnival said in a statement on Friday.
Passengers were required to be vaccinated and were tested before leaving, the cruise line said. The ship, which carried 2,497 passengers and 1,112 crew members, was expected back to Miami on Sunday after eight days at sea.
It was the third eruption this week to hit cruise ships that had left Florida.
Kurt chirbas contributed.
