Ruby Princess cruise ship docked in San Francisco with 143 cases of COVID-19

For the third time this year, the same Princess Cruise Lines has docked in California with passengers who tested positive for COVID-19[feminine].

The Ruby Princess arrived in San Francisco on April 11 after a trip to Hawaii in which 143 passengers on board tested positive for the virus, the city’s health department told CBS MoneyWatch. It was found that more than 70 people had COVID-19 in March while on the same ship after returning from a 15-day cruise on the Panama Canal. In January, it was found that 12 passengers arriving in San Francisco after a 10-day cruise to Mexico with the Ruby Princess had COVID-19 after a randomized virus test.

Passengers on the Hawaii cruise told the San Jose Mercury News that they noticed signs of an outbreak almost immediately.

“It was pretty clear that there was a high percentage of passengers who were sick, but unless you declared yourself, you were free to go ahead and infect other passengers,” California resident Ted Vomacka told Mercury News. “It was obvious watching all the coughing and piracy that there was some kind of infection.”

The San Francisco Department of Health said everyone on board the Hawaii cruise was vaccinated and that people who tested positive had mild or no symptoms.

“Only one person was hospitalized, which demonstrates the incredible effectiveness of vaccination,” the department said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the Ruby Princess for virus outbreaks, along with four other Princess Cruise ships where COVID-19 has appeared.

Princess is not the only cruise line still fighting the virus. The CDC is also investigating outbreaks of more than a dozen Royal Caribbean cruise ships and more than a dozen Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Cruise ships must notify the CDC of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 on board.

Cruise operators were mistreated COVID-19[feminine] outbreaks in the early days of the pandemic, with ships carrying infected passengers prohibited from docking in California and Florida. The Grand Princess, another Princess Cruises-owned ship, was quarantined at sea for six days after 21 people on board contracted the virus.

The number of people booking cruises has been declining over the past two years, according to the CDC warned against cruisers regardless of a person’s vaccination status. In 2020 and 2021, cruise companies collectively lost $ 63 billion and thousands of jobs, according to industry data. The International Cruise Lines Association said the industry is expected to fully recover next year.

Princess Cruise Lines did not return requests for comments on the latest virus outbreak at Ruby Princess. In a statement to Mercury News, the company said its “established COVID-19 protocols work.”

“When cases are identified due to on-board testing, cruise protocols help maximize containment on board with rapid response procedures designed to safeguard all other guests and crew, as well as communities visiting ships,” said the cruise line to the newspaper.