Royal Caribbean crew member dies, two more medically evacuated at PortMiami
One month after cruise companies stopped new cruises, COVID-19 outbreaks at sea continue as crew members remain on board.
A crew member from the Symphony of the Seas died Sunday after being evacuated from the Royal Caribbean ship, according to a captain’s announcement obtained by the Miami Herald from the Oasis of the Seas.
“I have very sad news to bring over to you as well,” he said. “One of our colleagues on the Symphony of the Seas passed away yesterday and so our prayers and thoughts go out to his family, close family and extended family of course. It’s always very sad when one of our colleagues are passing.”
Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to a request for comment about when the crew member was evacuated. The company declined to comment on how many people on board the ship have COVID-19.
Two more crew members were medically evacuated from Oasis of the Seas while the ship was docked at PortMiami Monday.
At least 14 people on board the Royal Caribbean ship have COVID-19, and at least nine have been evacuated to Florida hospitals in the last two weeks. The company confirmed Monday’s evacuations.
The ship disembarked its last passengers in Miami on March 15. Crew members on board say they were encouraged to take advantage of activities normally off limits to workers — the pool, buffet, gym — until March 28, when the captain announced the COVID-19 outbreak on board and confined most crew to individual passenger cabins. On March 26, the company sent an email to passengers who cruised on the March 8-15 cruise warning them of their exposure to the new coronavirus.
Royal Caribbean arranged a charter flight for Monday evening from Miami International Airport to Mauritius for crew members from the island nation off East Africa, spokesperson for the airport Greg Chin confirmed. On Monday afternoon, the flight was postponed until Tuesday.
Citing continued outbreaks on ships among crew members, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its “no-sail order” for all U.S. cruises through late July, or until the COVID-19 pandmic is declared over. Of the approximately 100 cruise ships with 80,000 crew on board in U.S. waters, the CDC said at least 20 have known or suspected COVID-19 infection among the crew who remain onboard.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 1:50 PM.
