Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Coronavirus: Royal Caribbean bans travellers with Chinese passports after 4 cruise-ship passengers are sent to New Jersey hospital to be tested for the disease

The four were among 27 passengers on the Royal Caribbean vessel, the Anthem of the Seas, who had recently been in mainland China.. ‘Any guests holding a Chinese, Hong Kong or Macau passport … will not be allowed to board our ships’ through February, Royal Caribbean says

After four passengers arriving on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that docked in a New Jersey port were sent to a hospital to be tested for the novel coronavirus Friday morning, the cruise line announced it was temporarily banning any travellers holding Chinese, Hong Kong or Macau passports from boarding its ships.

The cruise line said that, because of coronavirus concerns, “any guests holding a Chinese, Hong Kong or Macau passport, regardless of when they were there last, will not be allowed to board our ships” through the end of February.

Additionally, Royal Caribbean said “any guest or crewmen travelling from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships”.

The statement came hours after US health authorities sent four passengers arriving on the Anthem of the Seas, which had docked in Bayonne, New Jersey, just south of Manhattan, to the hospital for further tests for coronavirus.

The Miami-based company had already announced restrictions on travellers earlier this week, requiring passport holders of China, Hong Kong and Macau to go through a specialised screening process before boarding the ships.

The four people being tested were among 27 passengers who had been screened by staff from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the ship, according to a statement by the New Jersey state government. All of those screened had recently travelled to mainland China.

Twenty-three of those passengers aboard the ship were cleared of the disease, the New Jersey statement said.

“The hospital is following proper infection control protocols while evaluating these individuals. New Jersey currently has no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and the risk to residents remains low,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement.

In its statement, Royal Caribbean said: “None of the four guests showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus while they were on-board our ship.

“One had tested positive on-board for Influenza A. Our records indicate the guests had not been in China since January 26.”

Neither New Jersey nor New York so far have any confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, which originated in China’s Hubei province and has spread across the planet, including six US states, California and Massachusetts among them.

New York City has had five suspected cases, but tests for three of those have come back negative while the other two are pending. As of Friday, the US has 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

For the month of January, the CDC said, it had responded to clinical inquiries from public health officials and health care providers to assist in evaluating approximately 650 persons thought to be at risk for the infection, 210 of whom were tested.

There are currently more than 30,000 confirmed cases of the disease worldwide and more than 630 deaths, most of them in mainland China.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×