Few sectors have been battered harder than the cruise industry in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, particularly after the U.S. State Department issued an advisory on Monday against travel on cruise ships.
Separately, the CDC noted an “increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment.”
On Monday, shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises fell 25%, shares of Norwegian Cruise Line fell 25% to an all-time low. Carnival fell 20%.
The Grand Princess, meanwhile, pulled into the Port of Oakland with more than 3,500 people aboard — 21 confirmed to be infected with the new virus. The Regal Princess cruise ship was finally allowed to pull into a Florida port and passengers began disembarking after two crew members tested negative for coronavirus.
On Saturday, a passenger on the 4,000-passenger Carnival Panorama—which arrived in Long Beach in December as the newest in the company’s fleet—showed symptoms of the illness but tested negative. Passengers aboard the vessel were held for roughly eight hours before being allowed to disembark.
On Monday, Long Beach officials announced the city’s first three cases of the novel virus—two of them had become infected while traveling on a cruise in Egypt.
Roughly 32 million people were expected to sail on cruise ships this year, an industry group predicted before the outbreak.
Passengers in Long Beach boarding the Carnival Inspiration, which sails to Mexico for two- to five-day voyages, were undeterred by the recent warnings and news.
“I’ve made more ridiculous decisions in my life,” one passenger said. “I’m comfortable. I feel like there’s way more things that can kill me in this world than a virus.”
— Associated Press and staff report