4 passengers aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in New Jersey hospitalized over coronavirus fears

Some passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in Bayonne, New Jersey, on Friday were tested for the coronavirus, officials said.

The Anthem of the Seas had departed from Bayonne on January 27 and headed to the Bahamas before returning.

“Personnel from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention boarded a cruise ship docked in Bayonne this morning and screened 27 passengers who recently traveled from mainland China,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

Of them, four were taken to University Hospital in Newark, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis said. One of them developed a fever on the trip, but it went away with some Tylenol, Davis said, adding that the three others were being closely monitored.

University Hospital declined to comment, instead directing Insider to the New Jersey Department of Public Health, which sent Murphy’s statement.

“The hospital is following proper infection control protocols while evaluating these individuals,” Murphy said.

The other 23 passengers were given the all-clear. Davis told NBC New York that they would be transported to Newark Liberty International Airport to return to China.

None of the 27 Chinese nationals were from Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak originated, or had traveled there since the outbreak was reported in December, Davis added.

“New Jersey currently has no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and the risk to residents remains low,” Murphy said.

As of Friday, the coronavirus had infected over 31,000 people worldwide and killed over 630 people.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement to the New York Post on Friday that it was “participating in elevated levels of guest screening” to help control the virus.

“We are closely monitoring developments regarding coronavirus and have rigorous medical protocols in place onboard our ships,” Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, Melissa Charbonneau, said. “We continue to work in close consultation with the CDC, the WHO, and local health authorities to align with their guidance and ensure the health and wellbeing of our guests and crew.”

However, one Chinese national, Jin Yan, told Fox 5 NY that he lives in the United Kingdom and hasn’t been to China in a year. He believes he was put at risk when he was quarantined with people who had recently traveled to the mainland where the public health crisis originated.

Some of the passengers, who spent the past 12 days traveling to Puerto Rico, St. John, St. Kitts, and Antigua, told Insider that they were in the dark about the situation because the crew didn’t make any announcements about the CDC’s measures. Some said they remedied the lack of transparency by searching for updates on their phones or watching the news on cabin TVs.

Eugene and Betty Salassi, of Louisiana, who went on the cruise with a group of quilters, said it was probably best that the crew didn’t alert passengers because that may have caused panic. They’re both in the medical field and said they enjoyed their trip, with no concern about boarding a cruise ship amid a coronavirus outbreak.

Viruses are “everywhere,” Betty Salassi said. “So wash your hands,” Eugene Salassi added.

Thousands of people disembarked the Anthem of the Sea on Friday morning and waited in lines to be picked up. Groups chattered about the news. Because such little information had been released, some speculated about how and where the 27 Chinese nationals were being screened.

Rosemary Woronowicz wasn’t bothered by the nearly hourlong delay getting off the ship. She said she had a great time with her husband, adding, “If you want to travel, that’s the chance you take.”

And Suzanne Poirier, a New Jersey resident, said she was “curious, not concerned,” when she noticed the large group of Chinese people. It wasn’t until she looked out a window and spotted news crews at the port that she knew something was going on.

“Surprisingly, people were not panicked,” Poirier said.

People who are set to travel on Royal Caribbean cruises in upcoming days received a statement on Thursday informing them of changes to check-in times to ensure that people don’t waste time “standing and waiting around.”

“Before you board, we’ll be conducting enhanced sanitation in the cruise terminal and onboard, as part of our ongoing illness prevention efforts,” the statement said.

But those who were set to embark on a cruise on the Anthem of the Seas later Friday were told they wouldn’t be leaving until Saturday out of an “abundance of caution.”

A statement sent to travelers stressed that “none of the four guests being tested by CDC showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus.”

Jamie Smith, of Pennsylvania, learned that her trip had been delayed only after arriving at the port with her husband. They would need to find a hotel room for the night, but Smith said they weren’t overly worried about the virus itself.

“If it wasn’t safe, they wouldn’t let us on,” Smith said.

Later Friday, Royal Caribbean said people with passports from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau would not be permitted on any ships in its fleet, no matter when they last visited those places.