Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has published the following statement:
"We can confirm that we have been required to change the itinerary for Braemar, after five people on board tested positive for COVID-19 Coronavirus.
We were due to end our ‘Western Caribbean & Central America’ cruise today in Barbados. However we have changed course, following a cautious response from the local authorities, and are now heading towards the Bahamas (our Flag State).
We are currently working with the Bahamas, the UK government, UK Chamber of Shipping and Public Heath England to ensure that all guests can return home as soon as possible.
We continue to follow advice from Public Health England and there is currently no requirement for guests to stay in their cabins. However, we have put other measures in place. These include operating open seating at mealtimes, so that guests can sit on emptier tables. We are also asking guests to keep a reasonable distance from each other and crew members, as much as possible.
We are keeping those on board regularly updated and are asking all guests and crew to return to their cabin and call the Medical Centre, if they begin to feel unwell."
