Cruise ship docking in New Jersey, suspected cases

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   https://nypost.com/2020/02/06/cruise-ship-set-to-dock-in-bayonne-will-test-12-passengers-for-coronavirus/

(This is the full text at time of posting. No mention of whether they're going to hold the other passengers on the ship until they get the results)

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship scheduled to dock in Bayonne, New Jersey, early Friday has at least a dozen Chinese nationals on board in isolation who will be tested for coronavirus, a source familiar with the ship said.

Some of the passengers, who are returning from the Bahamas on the ship, have pulmonary issues, according to the source.

They will be tested for the virus when the ship docks at the New Jersey port.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not determined where the passengers will be held while the tests are done.

In a statement early Friday, Royal Caribbean said they are “participating in elevated levels of guest screening” to combat the spread of the virus.

“We are closely monitoring developments regarding coronavirus and have rigorous medical protocols in place onboard our ships,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

“We continue to work in close consultation with the CDC, the WHO, and local health authorities to align with their guidance and ensure the health and wellbeing of our guests and crew,” they added.

Robert Isaacson, 42, whose 75-year-old mother is on the Bayonne-bound ship, told The Post he is worried for her because of a cruise ship in Hong Kong that’s been quarantined after crew members complained of having coronavirus symptoms.

“I sent her an email about that during her cruise so we were aware of the situation but we figured that is Asia, odds of that happening here are much much smaller,” Isaacson, who lives in Jersey City, said in a text message.

He added crew members on his mother’s ship have not alerted passengers to the sick people on board.

“We have been chatting throughout the cruise and she has not brought any mentions of the crew alerting the passengers of a potential situation involving sick passengers,” he added.

New York City had no confirmed cases of the virus as of Thursday.

The virus, which first spread in the city of Wuhan in China, has now killed more than 600 people and infected more than 28,000 globally.