Breaking: More passengers test positive for COVID on Caribbean cruise ship
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Caribbean cruise ship in the midst of a COVID outbreak has jumped to five. In addition, there is preliminary evidence that there may be a sixth case on board.
In a shipwide announcement around 5 p.m. on Thursday, the captain of SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream 1, Torbjorn Lund, said testing overnight of close contacts of the original passenger to test positive for COVID-19 had turned up a total of five confirmed cases in his traveling party.
The testing was performed by health authorities from the government of Barbados, where the ship docked late Wednesday night.
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A couple of hours after that announcement, Lund made another shipwide address to say preliminary findings from rapid tests on board had uncovered a sixth possible case. The possible case needs to be confirmed with a second test that will be processed overnight.
SeaDream 1 arrived in Barbados around 10:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday after cutting short a seven-night voyage to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, due to the original positive test. Health authorities from Barbados boarded it shortly thereafter.
Barbados is the vessel’s home base for the winter season.
The five confirmed positive cases amount to nearly 10% of the passengers on the vessel. There are 53 passengers and 66 crew on board.
The list of passengers on SeaDream 1, which just resumed Caribbean sailings on Saturday out of Barbados, includes me. I’ve been on board since Saturday covering this week’s voyage — a watershed moment for the cruise industry.
Related: What it's like on the first cruise vessel to restart Caribbean trips
The sailing was the first by any cruise line in the Caribbean since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic in March. The Caribbean is the world’s biggest cruise destination, accounting for at least a third of all cruises taken in a normal year, and the cruise industry has been eyeing a restart in the region for many months.
Even as he announced the possibility of a sixth case on board late Thursday, Lund had some good news to report. He said that an initial round of tests for COVID-19 on all other passengers and crew had come back negative.
Passengers and crew on board have been tested over the last two days by both the ship's doctor and Barbados health authorities.
Related: What safety protocols were like when we boarded
The ship's doctor and an assistant tested passengers and crew using three Abbott ID Now testing machines that the vessel carries on board. Barbados health authorities tested passengers and crew using tests that are being sent off the ship to a laboratory.
Since the tests by the ship's doctor can be processed on board, the results for the tests have been coming back faster. These are the tests that have shown negative results for most passengers and crew. But the captain suggested that these initial results won't be confirmed until the secondary results from the Barbados government testing arrive early Friday.
It was a positive test late Thursday on one of the shipboard tests that resulted in the captain saying there was preliminary evidence of a sixth COVID case on board. That case won't be considered confirmed until secondary results come in from the Barbados government testing.
In his address to passengers late Thursday, Lund said shipboard officials were "not 100% sure" the positive test was an actual positive.
Testing by both the ship's doctor and Barbados officials was the big onboard story of Thursday. I was tested first by the ship's doctor at about 3 p.m. on Thursday. The test was performed at the doorway to my cabin, where I have been under quarantine since Wednesday. About two hours later, I got a call from the ship's reception that the result was negative.
I was called down to the reception area of the ship about two hours after the initial test to undergo the test by Barbados authorities. That test is now being sent out to a laboratory, with results expected early Friday.
All passengers and nonessential crew on the ship have been under quarantine in their cabins since around noon on Wednesday, when the first positive COVID test came back.
Lund said late Thursday that the ship and local authorities had been in discussions about a plan for the next few days that would allow passengers who test negative for COVID-19 to leave the ship in the coming days.
The passengers would have to have negative results on both the test performed by the ship's doctor and the test performed by Barbados authorities.
Passengers who test positive on one of the tests would be informed one by one on the next steps.
Gene Sloan was traveling on SeaDream 1 as a guest of the cruise line. Featured image courtesy of SeaDream Yacht Club
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.