Cruise Ship Returns to Port Early After Passengers Fall Ill

Over the past several days passengers and crew aboard the Caribbean Princess cruise ship have been falling ill, prompting the ship to return to port early.

Local10.com reports that the ship returned to port on Saturday morning after 228 passengers and 17 crew members fell ill with a stomach bug during the ship’s 14-day voyage. The voyage was shortened by a day in response to the outbreak.

This the second consecutive sailing on which passengers and crew members have fallen ill aboard the ship. Though officials are still not sure what illness was involved in the outbreak, they have all but ruled out coronavirus.  Local10 reports that passengers believe that the outbreak may have been caused by norovirus.

The Caribbean Princess’s last outbreak sickened at least 400 people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has sent an investigation team to the scene to investigate the cause of the outbreak and help thoroughly clean the ship.