As reports continue to surface regarding the coronavirus outbreak, cruise companies are responding swiftly by cancelling all upcoming departures out of China. Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Costa Cruises are three of the cruise companies that have cancelled cruises until further notice.
Royal Caribbean announced Monday that it would be suspending future voyages of cruise ships from China due to the outbreak. The Spectrum of the Seas, the only ship currently with China as its home port, was set to sail on January 27. However, the company issued a statement stating that the scheduled departure from Shanghai would be cancelled. The Spectrum of the Seas was set to go on a four-day voyage to visit Okinawa Island, with another trip scheduled to depart this Friday. As of now, no word has been issued regarding the status of that trip. They are working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization, and authorities before making that determination. All passengers have received full refunds due to the cancellation.
Similarly, MSC Cruises announced that it will be cancelling a planned voyage of its vessel the MSC Splendida. The ship was scheduled to depart from Shanghai on Tuesday. All passengers will be able to either receive a full refund due to the cancellation or will be offered a future MSC trip of equal price and value and receive an additional onboard credit.
Costa Cruises has also cancelled four scheduled trips from China with sailing dates between January 25 and February 2. The vessels include the Costa Serena, the Costa Atlantica, the Costa Venezia, and the Costa Romantica. All four of these vessels are docked in or near China.
These announcements come after the U.S. Department of State issued a Level 4 travel advisory. This level is the most severe one provided by the Department of State, telling citizens to not travel to the central Chinese province of Hubei, which is the location of where the coronavirus outbreak began.
A Level 2 travel advisory, indicating that travelers should exercise increased caution, has been issued for the entire country of China. However, the State Department also issued a special warning with respect to the Wuhan region. At the time of the announcement, all non-essential personnel had been evacuated from China.
A third case of the coronavirus was reported in the U.S. on Sunday in Southern California. More than 50 people in China have been confirmed dead as a result of the coronavirus. The coronaviruses are part of a larger family of viruses that include illnesses ranging between the common cold to pneumonia, as well as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Serious cases of the coronavirus have led to pneumonia, SARS, kidney failure and death.
Given the close proximity passengers are in when traveling on a cruise ship, communicable diseases can spread quickly, which makes following travel warnings so important. Travelers are encouraged to be cautious when making travel arrangements and should follow all travel warnings issued by the Department of State.
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Aronfeld Trial Lawyers is a personal injury firm located in Miami, Florida since 1991. We have fought hard to hold cruise lines accountable when they put their profits ahead of passenger safety. We are available 24/7 and encourage you to contact us even if you are still on your cruise. The sooner we can begin our investigation and preservation of key evidence, such as the CCTV footage of your trip and fall, slip and fall, assault or other type of injury the more likely we will be able to understand and prove how the incident occurred. Remember, the cruise lines have the most aggressive and well-funded defense lawyers in the world- protecting their profits. You need an experienced legal advocate in your corner who will fight to obtain the compensation you deserve for lost wages, medical expenses, transportation reimbursement and pain and suffering. Call us today and speak with a cruise ship claims lawyer about your potential claim- toll free 1-866-597-4529, 305-441-0440, or by email. We are ready to help.
Source: USA Today – Royal Caribbean, MSC, others Cancel China Cruises Due to Coronavirus Outbreak.
