WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th March, 2020) A Princess Cruises ship has been cleared by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to return to a Florida port after two crew members tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the company said in a statement.
On Monday, Princess Cruises confirmed that the Caribbean Princess was held off the Florida coast, while US health authorities tested two crew members who were on board another coronavirus-hit vessel for the virus.
"Princess Cruises can confirm that the results for two crew members tested for COVID-19 onboard Caribbean Princess are negative," the statement said. "Caribbean Princess was given permission by the [CDC] to resume sailing and is scheduled to arrive at Port Everglades [Florida] on Wednesday, March 11, 2020."
According to the statement, three guests were removed from the ship for medical reasons unrelated to the coronavirus.
The Caribbean Princess is the fourth Princess Cruises liner to be quarantined or stopped to be checked on suspicion of novel coronavirus infection.
On Sunday, the Regal Princess cruise ship was also held off the Florida coast, while the CDC tested two workers onboard the vessel. The Grand Princess and Diamond Princess had to be quarantined in California and Japan, respectively, following an outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the ships.
The Caribbean Princess, which can accommodate more than 3,000 guests and up to 1,200 members, departed Fort Lauderdale on a ten-day Caribbean voyage on March 1 and was scheduled to return on March 11.
According to the Johns Hopkins University's interactive dashboard, there have been more than 118,000 cases of COVID-10 confirmed globally, including more than 800 confirmed cases and 28 deaths in the United States.
