The first cruise ship scheduled to dock at Victoria’s Ogden Point from 2019 canceled its arrival on Wednesday at the weekend. Princess Cruises said it was recalling the leg of the Caribbean Princess’s voyage from San Francisco to Vancouver, diverting the boat to the reservoir in Portland, Ore., For maintenance. Two passengers on the ship, which was sailing off the coast of California on Monday, told CTV News that they were attacked by COVID-19 on the ship and taken to the 12th floor of the ship, where the infected passengers were said to be in quarantine.
‘ORANGE CONDITION’
The CDC has granted “orange status” to the Princess of the Caribbean and has launched an investigation into the condition of COVID-19 on board, the agency said. The “orange status” means that there are enough confirmed COVID-19 cases on board to meet the investigation limit. The limit requires at least 0.3 percent of the ship’s passengers and crew to be positive for the disease, according to the CDC. Ian Robertson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbor Authority, said it was unclear whether the ship had changed its plans specifically because of COVID-19, adding that it was common for cruise ships to change course at the beginning of the season. The cancellation of the Caribbean Princess prompted GVHA to announce that the scheduled arrival of the ship Holland America Koningsdam on Saturday will now mark the official return of the cruise season to Victoria. Koningsdam was also on the orange list on Monday, with enough COVID-19 cases to launch a CDC investigation. It is one of only five cruise ships to arrive in Victoria this month with several COVID-19 cases on board for direct CDC surveillance. Four other ships scheduled to reach Ogden Point are currently in “yellow status”, meaning that less than 0.3 percent of all passengers and / or crew are currently infected with COVID-19. Two other ships scheduled to arrive near the end of the month were included in the “green regime” list on Monday, with no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on board.
