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Cruise Ship Returns To Port Day Early After 277 People Were Exposed To Norovirus, Forced To Stay On Boat

REUTERS/Joe Skipper

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Grace Carr Reporter
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A cruise ship in Jamaica was forced to return home a day early after 277 passengers were exposed to Norovirus.

The Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will return to Port Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday instead of its planned return Sunday due to the outbreak, The Associated Press reported Friday.

Norovirus is a contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus can also cause fever and body aches in those infected.

Disgruntled passengers tweeted about being required to stay onboard the ship amid the outbreak after docking in Falmouth, Jamaica, the AP reported. (RELATED: A Virus Is Sweeping Through A Shelter Of California Wildfire Victims)

“We think the right thing to do is get everyone home early rather than have guests worry about their health,” cruise line spokesman Owen Torres told the AP.

The early return will provide the cruise line with “more time to completely clean and sanitize the ship” before it leaves port on another voyage, Torres said.

People ride in a vintage car next to a cruise ship docked in Havana, Cuba, August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Cruise ships have faced a number of other unfortunate events in recent months.

A 26-year-old man fell off a Carnival Victory cruise ship in mid-December 2018, the Miami Herald reported. A 69-year-old Dutch woman fell off a different cruise ship, “MSC Preziosa,” just days before.

The woman fell overboard Dec. 8, and authorities called off the search for her body Dec. 14.

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