Ministry of Tourism Says Infected Cruise Passengers Did NOT Come Ashore Last Week

The Carnival Vista Cruise Line returned to Galveston port in Texas on Saturday with what it termed a “small outbreak” onboard after it left Cozumel, Mexico. The outbreak was detected just days after the ship had departed Belize last Wednesday.  Carnival has implemented strict COVID guidelines, such as mask requirements for everyone onboard, including the vaccinated.  C.E.O. in the Ministry of Tourism, Nicole Solano, told News Five today that as far as she knows, none of the positive cases came ashore that day.  So far, the schedule remains in place for another Carnival cruise ship to dock in the Belize City harbor on Wednesday.  All safety protocols remain in place for Belize.  Just last week, the Belize Tourism Board announced that effective today, August ninth, all travelers, meaning vaccinated and unvaccinated people entering Belize, are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result. Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Line is now requiring that all its vaccinated guests must show proof of a negative COVID test as they board the ship. Unvaccinated guests must show proof of insurance, and pay a one hundred and fifty-dollar fee for taking a PCR test before boarding and for screening. Carnival has projected that it will have these guidelines in place until October thirty-first.