End of the ride: cruise now completely stopped after corona outbreak among crew, almost 3,000 passengers have to go home | Abroad

From Lisbon, the journey would normally go to the Canary Islands, but now the approximately 3,000 passengers are waiting for the flight home.

The outbreak was previously detected among cruise ship employees. According to DPA news agency, this concerns 52 infections on 1,353 crew members. It is unknown when they became infected. Before and during the cruise, all persons on board had to be tested and vaccinated. The sick crew members are housed in hotels in Lisbon and are there in isolation. According to the German shipping company Aida Cruises, they have minor complaints. No infections have been detected among the passengers for the time being.

The Aida Nova would normally be moored in Madeira on New Year’s Eve. Passengers would attend the spectacular fireworks display in Funchal harbour. But because dozens of crew members suddenly turned out to be infected during a routine check, the cruise remained in Lisbon for the time being, where the ship was also stuck for the past few days. It is now clear that Lisbon will also be the final stop unplanned. The trip is completely canceled.

“Due to the current situation, we cannot continue the journey with the Aida Nova to the Canary Islands,” the shipping company said on Sunday, according to German media. Aida Cruises hopes passengers will understand the decision, which was “made in the interest of the safety and health of both crew and tourists.” According to the company, a return flight for guests from Germany, Austria and Switzerland has already been arranged on Monday.

Last week the Aida Nova was still in Rotterdam. There the ship was berthed at the Wihelminakade to bunker fuel and store a new stock. According to Cruise Port Rotterdam, however, no one was disembarked at the time due to the lockdown in the Netherlands, not even the crew. “The protocols in the cruise world are extremely strict”, says Nick Hoogeweij of Cruise Port Rotterdam. According to him, nothing was known about infections when the ship called at the Dutch city.