The Carnival Vista returned to Roatan this morning. Tests of crew members on the ship indicated that sixteen (16) members were positive for COVID-19, according to a trusted source (a Carnival employee) on the ship.

A week ago, the Carnival cruise ship arrived in Roatan with 26 crew members who tested positive, based on the same source who wishes to remain anonymous. Read: Over Two Dozen Carnival Crew Members Infected With COVID-19 on Carnival Vista. The ship then sailed on to Belize where the infected count increased to twenty-seven (26 crew and one guest). Read: Positive COVID-19 Cases Increase to 27 as Carnival Vista Leaves Belize Heading for Cozumel.

As was the case a week ago, the infected Carnival ship employees included many crew members who work in departments which bring them in contact with guests on a daily basis.  Five crew members work in entertainment, three in guest services, and two in photo. Other crew members not interfacing with guests: – engine – 3, culinary services – 2  and auxiliary services – 1).

Carnival has taken the position that it will not release the actual number of positive COVID-19 cases on its ships.

This information is important and necessary for guests on Carnival cruise ships to evaluate their own health and safety and consider the risks on these ships.

I currently do not have information regarding the number, if any, of infected guests on the ship at this time.

Let’s see if the tourism people in the next port, Belize, release another press report summarizing the number of infected guests and crew members.

Last week, the Belize Tourism Board issued a press release touting Carnival’s safety. Of course the tourism board is just that – a group of marketers interested in doing business with a large cruise line here in the U.S.  It obviously is  not a public health entity with infectious disease doctors, epidemiologists and public health experts.  There was a great deal of discussion from the local resident of Belize about whether it was prudent to allow tourists off of the Carnival ship on shore excursions.  Here is the reporting from a local news station in Belize, News 7 Belize, and comments protesting of the arrival of the COVID-19 infected cruise ship by the local community in Belize.

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Image credit: Carnival Vista – CNN.