Ten crew members of the Carnival Corporation-owned German company AIDA Cruises who were due to board the ships AIDAmar and AIDAblu in homeport Warnemunde-Rostock (Germany) tested COVID-positive.
The news was announced in a press conference by the State Office for Health and Social Affairs on Friday, July 24.
All 750 crew who arrived during the week from The Philippines and Indonesia tested negative in their home countries prior to the flight to Germany. Following the new safety protocols, they were retested and ten tests returned positive results for COVID-19.
Of the 10 positive, 9 are asymptomatic and 1 has mild symptoms. According to the safety protocols the 10 were placed in strict individual isolation and were housed on land.
Despite the 10 infected crew, AIDA is sticking to planned short roundtrips. The Rostock health office estimates the likelihood that another crew has been infected is low. Where and when the seafarers have been infected is not known yet. The crew will be tested again on Sunday, July 26.
In August, the planned short cruises from Hamburg, Kiel and Rostock without shore leave will continue to take place. However, AIDA Cruises decided not to allow the 2 liners to leave for scheduled test runs without passengers.