Alaska's First Cruise Ship of 2020 Returns to Port Early After Passenger Tests Positive for COVID-19
JUNEAU — Alaska’s first cruise ship of 2020 is returning to port early after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19, according to written statements issued late Tuesday by the City and Borough of Juneau and UnCruise Adventures, the ship’s operator.
According to UnCruise, a passenger aboard the ship Wilderness Adventurer received the positive test result on Tuesday, three days after the ship departed Alaska’s capital city. Unlike a case in Norway where a cruise ship spread coronavirus to several port towns, the Wilderness Adventurer did not stop in any other Southeast Alaska ports.
According to the company, the passenger arrived in Alaska with a negative test, then took another at Juneau International Airport as part of a statewide program. Participants have said that getting test results is a slow process, but Liz Galloway of UnCruise said by email that the passenger arrived in Juneau on the day of departure, indicating a three-day turnaround time in this case.