Royal Caribbean is using two of its cruise ships as quarantine facilities for crew members

Royal Caribbean is using two of its cruise ships as quarantine facilities for the crew who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The cruise line’s COVID-19-infected crew members are now being transferred to the out-of-service Vision of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas “to keep our crew and ships as healthy as possible,” Royal Caribbean told Insider in a statement.

The crew aboard the two ships were initially working on different Caribbean cruises before being sent to the Vision and Rhapsody of the Seas, Morgan Hines reported for USA Today. And on January 5, Royal Caribbean transferred about 100 crew members from multiple ships to the Rhapsody of the Seas, although the exact number of quarantined crew changes constantly, according to the report.

Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for a comment regarding the number of people who are currently isolated aboard the two ships.

When the workers — who are asymptomatic or “mildly” symptomatic — finish their 10-day quarantine under a medical crew’s supervision, they’ll be transferred back to their designated ships, the cruise line said. All crew members working with Royal Caribbean are fully vaccinated.

For now, the CDC is monitoring the “crew-only” Vision of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas.

The spread of the Omicron variant has continued to cause setbacks for the cruising industry. On January 7, Royal Caribbean announced it will be pausing operations on four of its cruise ships — including the Vision of the Seas — due to “ongoing COVID-related circumstances.” The ship will resume passenger sailings in early March.

Source: Business Insider

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