The third Florida-based cruise ship has COVID eruptions

Carnival Freedom became the third Florida-based cruise ship this week to be hit by a COVID-19 eruption, according to the company.

The vessel, which was scheduled to return to Miami on Sunday after an 8-day voyage, has since been denied entry to Bonaire and Aruba, Carnival said in a statement.

The ship has 2,497 passengers and 1,112 crew members. It was unclear how many infections were detected on board.

Those who tested positive are isolated, according to Carnival.

“Our protocols anticipate this possibility and we implement them as needed to protect the health and safety of our guests and crew,”[ads1]; the company said in a statement.

Two Royal Caribbean cruise ships were also hit by COVID-19 eruptions earlier this week.

The outbreaks occur as cases in Florida have skyrocketed, driven by the proliferation of the new Omicron variant.

On Friday, Sunshine State registered 31,758 new cases, mostly in a single day since the state has seen since the early pandemic.

With Post wires