MSC Cruises' flagship MSC Seashore arrived on Thursday, December 23, in PortMiami Florida with dozens of COVID-positive crew and passengers.
In a letter, the cruise company informed passengers onboard that 28 people had tested positive for the Coronavirus.
In a statement by spokesperson Stephen Schuler, MSC said that during routine monitoring aboard MSC Seashore, "a limited number of guests and crew" had tested positive for COVID. 28 (all fully vaccinated) of the 4714 passengers and crew (0.59% of the onboard population) had been discovered to be positive.
The positive crew disembarked the ship and were sent to a hotel in Miami FL for a 14-day quarantine prior to returning back aboard Seashore.
The next voyage is expected to go on as per schedule with a late PortMiami departure.
The health protocols of the line were implemented "immediately" and all guests who tested positive as well as their close contacts were isolated in balcony staterooms in a separate area on the liner.
The majority of the positive people are asymptomatic, some have mild symptoms.
MSC Cruises said it would continue to monitor the health of the passengers and crew and would offer complimentary testing for guests who wished to have it "to feel reassured and for peace of mind."
For more MSC Seashore incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.