Norwegian Breakaway Covid Cases Were Without Symptoms

CBS News New Orleans reporting NCL is cooperating fully with Louisiana Health Officials.

CBS News New Orleans is also reporting that at least one of the infected crew members is suspected to have the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Louisiana Department of Health said late Sunday. That suspicion is based solely on his being from South Africa. On Monday, a spokesperson for the company said in a statement a South African crew member suspected of having the Omicron variant was in isolation for the entirety of the November 28 cruise.

According to CBS, here is the story. The Norwegian Breakaway arrived in the city on Sunday after departing from New Orleans on November 28 and making stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico over the past week. During the testing done before arriving back in the U.S. according to health officials 17 crew and guests tested positive for Covid.

Norwegian said in a statement that there was "handful of COVID-19 cases among guests and crew." The company said all of the identified cases involved people without symptoms of the illness. On Monday, a spokesperson for the company said in a statement a South African crew member suspected of having the Omicron variant was in isolation for the entirety of the November 28 cruise.

Norwegian said in another statement that it requires all passengers and crew members to have been vaccinated against the coronavirus prior to departure. More than 3,200 people had been on board the ship, officials said.