More than 800 people who traveled on the two ill-fated cruise ships that were both quarantined tested positive for the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its weekly report.
Ten of those people who had been on the ships, the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess, have died. The CDC said in the report that people should avoid traveling on cruise ships during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Outbreaks of COVID-19 on cruise ships pose a risk for rapid spread of disease beyond the voyage,” according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Monday. “Aggressive efforts are required to contain spread.”
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Among the more than 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the Diamond Princess, 712 became infected with the coronavirus. The ship was put on temporary quarantine after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus.
More than 60 passengers on one Grand Princess voyage stayed on the ship to embark on a second voyage. The CDC said many of the travelers from the first trip tested positive for the coronavirus and passed it to people on the second trip.
A total of 78 cases were confirmed on the Grand Princess, the CDC said.
The ship was on its way back to California when it was told on March 4 to anchor off the coast after people on the vessel tested positive for coronavirus. Passengers were able to disembark after about a week in isolation.
One couple who was on the Grand Princess filed a $1 million lawsuit against the cruise line company, Princess Cruises, alleging that they exposed them to the disease.
The report also said the coronavirus was found on various surfaces in cabins on the Diamond Princess 17 days after passengers had disembarked.
The CDC previously said that the virus could be viable on surfaces for “hours to days.” The agency said in its report Monday that the virus found in the cabins was “before disinfection procedures had been conducted” and further study is needed.
