CARACAS (Reuters) – A Spanish cruise ship hit by an outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus among its crew headed for its final stop at the Caribbean island of Aruba yesterday, the ship operator said.
The Ocean Dream, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, was on a week-long cruise due to end today but its itinerary was limited after several crew members came down with the swine flu. Venezuela confirmed three cases of H1N1 flu among the ship’s crew when the boat arrived at the island of Margarita and more than 300 Venezuelan passengers were allowed off, Royal Caribbean subsidiary Pullmantur said.
The ship’s remaining 900 passengers and crew are expected to disembark late yesterday in Aruba, the cruise’s final stop.
The ship made stops earlier in the week in Barbados and Grenada, but authorities there refused to let passengers leave the ship.
Pullmantur denied reports by Venezuelan health authorities that the boat had been quarantined for a week along with its passengers, who are mainly from Spain, Colombia and Venezuela but also include Brazilian, British and French citizens.
“The boat is continuing its itinerary in the direction of Aruba, where the rest of the passengers and the affected crew will disembark,” the company said in a statement.
Barbados refused to let the ship dock on Tuesday because 43 crew members exhibited flu-like symptoms, the Barbados Ministry of Health said in a statement.
