A cruise ship that had an outbreak of norovirus infections will dock in Portland on Sunday as planned as the number of infected passengers continues to drop.
The city of Portland said on Friday that local health officials have consulted with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its counterpart in Maine, “neither of which recommended that the ship be prevented from docking here.”
The outbreak aboard the Oceania Insignia was first reported on Monday when 74 of the ship’s 637 passengers were reported ill, with the predominant symptoms being diarrhea and vomiting, according to the U.S. CDC. The ship was traveling from Montreal to Boston and was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Friday afternoon.
Norovirus causes a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness that is often commonly called a “stomach bug” or “stomach flu,” though it is unrelated to the influenza virus, according to the U.S. CDC. Most people with norovirus illness get better in one to three days but can still spread the virus for a few days after.
The U.S. CDC said the Oceania Insignia’s staff are effectively responding to the outbreak, and cases have been declining daily with eight passengers currently in required isolation.
“City officials do not believe there is any reason for the public to be alarmed, and have received no indications that the ship should be prevented from docking,” the city said, adding that sick passengers will be quarantined on the ship when it is docked, and the ship’s crew will be “implementing heightened cleaning and disinfection on board.”
