Coronavirus Prompts Cruise Lines To Ban Chinese Passport Holders

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines are banning any passengers who hold a Chinese, Hong Kong or Macau passport from boarding their ships due to the new coronavirus outbreak. Royal Caribbean confirmed the decision in a statement posted to the company's website, while The Verge reported Norwegian's decision late Friday afternoon.

On Friday, 27 Chinese nationals were screened for coronavirus on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in Bayonne, New Jersey, Friday, the New Jersey Governor’s office told TIME. No cases of the virus have been confirmed. Four were being held at a nearby hospital for observation.

According to Royal Caribbean's statement, none of the four passengers showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus; however, one did test positive onboard for Influenza A.

In addition to prohibiting Chinese, Hong Kong or Macau passport holders from boarding ships, Royal Caribbean also announced the following protocols Friday:

• Regardless of nationality, any passenger or crew member traveling from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be prohibited from board ships.
• Any passenger or crew member who has been in contact with someone who has traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less within 15 days will also be banned from boarding.

Thousands of cruise passengers are currently quarantined in other parts of the world, including Carnival’s Diamond Princess ship, which is currently quarantined until Feb. 19 off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, after 61 cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed.

A third ship, owned by the tourism arm of Malaysian conglomerate Genting, is currently quarantined outside Hong Kong after at least eight coronavirus cases were confirmed.

So far, only 12 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States.

Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean canceled eight cruises out of China through early March, the Associated Press reports.

CEO Richard Fain told the AP Royal Caribbean will likely have to cancel more sailings in the future and that the outbreak will likely impact future bookings in China. There's currently no way to accurately provide specific cancellation or future booking figures, he said in a conference call with analysts Tuesday.