Coronavirus infections keep cruise ship stuck in Lisbon

Nearly 3,000 cruise passengers had to spend New Year's Eve in an unplanned stay ashore in Lisbon because of the coronavirus, while it was unclear when the vessel would be able to continue its voyage.

Madrid/Schwerin, Germany (dpa) - Nearly 3,000 cruise passengers had to spend New Year's Eve in an unplanned stay ashore in Lisbon because of the coronavirus, while it was unclear when the vessel would be able to continue its voyage.

Due to several dozen cases of infection among the crew, the onward journey of the cruise ship Aida Nova in the port of the Portuguese capital city was delayed until the New Year.

The planned trip to view the spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks over the port of Funchal on the Atlantic island of Madeira was cancelled, ruining New Year's Eve and the party mood for some passengers, according to reports on social media.

The positive coronavirus cases were discovered early on during routine checks and those affected were accommodated ashore in coordination with the authorities in Lisbon, German operator Aida Cruises said in the north-eastern German city of Rostock on Friday.

The crew members had only mild symptoms and were receiving medical care.

Lisbon port director Diogo Vieira Branco told Portuguese state news agency Lusa that 52 of the 1,353 crew members on the Aida Nova had tested positive. They had all been accommodated in hotels in Lisbon, where they were to undergo the mandatory isolation.

There were 2,844 tourists on the ship, among whom there was no positive case, the port commander was quoted as saying by Lusa late on Friday evening.

According to this information, the Portuguese authorities meanwhile granted the Aida Nova a departure permit, notwithstanding the thinned-out crew.

However, according to Aida Cruises, it was not yet clear when the ship would continue its voyage to the Canary Islands. The company told dpa that it was waiting for the arrival of important crew members and was examining various travel options. The cruise passengers are reportedly allowed to leave the ship without restrictions.

The company pointed out that all passengers over the age of 12 and the crew had been vaccinated and that both an antigen and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test had to be carried out before departure.