Virus means first cruise ends early

The first cruise to sail the Caribbean since the pandemic shut down the industry has returned early to Barbados after passengers got preliminary positive test results for COVID-19.

SeaDream Yacht Club didn’t say how many passengers had received positive tests but Sue Bryant, a journalist for the UK’s Times and Sunday Times newspapers who was on board, wrote on Twitter that five people had tested positive and there was a possible sixth case.

All guests and nonessential crew are quarantining in staterooms as the ship awaits authorisation to disembark in Barbados, according to the company. Crew tests all came back negative, SeaDream said. Reports are that there were 53 passengers and 66 crew on the vessel.

The episode comes as larger cruise companies, including Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises, are seeking to prove the safety of the industry so they can sail again from the US haemorrhaging cash just to maintain vessels until they can take paying customers again.