Cunard Line said about 133 people suffered
from the Norovirus illness while sailing on the line's newest
vessel, the Queen Victoria, on its second sailing. The Queen
Victoria was named in Southampton, England, on Dec. 10.
Cunard confirmed
the sickness had struck 122 out of 3,000 passengers and 11 crew
menbers on the 16-day trip to the Canary Islands, and that 21
passengers were still sick while the rest had recovered. Cunard
also said that the number of new cases is now in
decline.
The British company
suspects the illness was inadvertently brought onboard by embarking
guests on Dec. 21.
Cunard said that
its sanitation program was developed in coordination with the U.K.
Health Protection Agency, the British equivalent to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S., and includes such
measures as thorough disinfection of high-touch surfaces like
railings, door handles and lift buttons; encouraging guests to use
correct hand washing procedures and enhancing this with the use of
hand sanitizing gels placed throughout the ship; isolating ill
guests in cabins until non-contagious; encouraging guests to use
their own cabin's bathroom facilities; and providing regular verbal
and written communication to guests about steps they can take to
stay well while onboard.
The Queen Victoria
departed Southampton on Dec. 21 on a 16-day roundtrip voyage to the
Canaries that included calls in Gibraltar; Vigo and Malaga, Spain;
Lisbon and Madeira, Portugal; and Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and
Tenerife in the Canary Islands before it returns to Southampton on
Jan. 6.
To
contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].