Four Hurtigruten employees test positive for COVID-19

Four crewmembers on Hurtigruten’s expedition cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen have tested positive for COVID-19. The ship is docked in port in Tromsø and there are currently no guests on board.

The four crew members were isolated several days ago because of other disease symptoms, with no symptoms of COVID-19. They were still routinely tested when the ship docked in Tromsø Friday morning.

The four crew members are now admitted in the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN).

The ship is isolated and all 160 crew members on board will be tested. Hurtigruten and Norwegian health authorities is in the process of contacting all 177 guests from the cruise ending on July 31 and all 209 guests from the cruise ending on July 24 with relevant.

- The safety of our guests and crews is Hurtigruten’s highest priority. We are working closely with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), Tromsø municipality, UNN and other resources both locally and nationally, says VP of Global Communications in Hurtigruten, Rune Thomas Ege.

Hurtigruten has implemented strict hygiene measures on all ships during the Coronavirus pandemic.

- All crew members are closely monitored and screened on a daily basis. As a precautionary measure, the crew members in question were isolated early, and the cases discovered, even without showing any symptoms of COVID-19.

The ship was scheduled to sail to Svalbard on Friday afternoon. That voyage is now cancelled. The next cruise with the ship is not planned until September.

- We will get in touch with all guest who have been on board during the previous voyages to give them information and pass on advice from the authorities, says Ege.