Carnival Freedom passengers told to isolate after crew member’s positive COVID-19 test
A cruise ship that set sail the day the U.S. State Department warned travelers to stop cruising because of coronavirus just emailed its passengers to say they were potentially exposed to the virus.
Passengers on the Carnival Freedom, which left Galveston, Texas, for a six-day cruise on March 8, were asked to quarantine for two weeks after a crew member tested positive for COVID-19, according to a letter sent to passengers.
The crew member was hospitalized Monday and received positive test results “late Wednesday,” said Carnival Spokesman Chris Chiames. The letter went out Thursday by email.
Chiames said they isolated crew with any flu-like illnesses or who came into contact with the sick crew member, but he did not respond to a query about how many crew members were feeling ill. He said all crew members have been moved to single cabins, and the ship is promoting social distancing. Staff who are monitoring the isolated crew members have personal protective equipment.
“In the meantime, given the community spread of COVID-19 and the fact that most of our homeports are in various stages of lockdown, we have kept all crew on board and not allowed shore privileges,” he said.
The Freedom has been docked in Gulfport, Mississippi, since it disembarked passengers in Galveston on March 14, the day after the company halted all cruise operations.
Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevated the travel warning for cruise ships to Level 3 and asked anyone who’s been on a cruise in the last two weeks to self-isolate for 14 days.
“During the cruise, we did not have any guests or crew who reported any symptoms of COVID-19 or influenza-like illness,” wrote Dr. Grant Tarling, Carnival’s chief medical officer, in the letter passengers received.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 6:19 PM.
