Two people on a fully-vaccinated Royal Caribbean cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, officials said in a statement.
The two guests were sharing a room onboard the Celebrity Millennium, which is part of Celebrity Cruises owned by the Royal Caribbean Group.
It was the first ship with paying customers to sail from North America since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, reports said.
The two passengers are asymptomatic but in isolation while the cruise line conducts contact tracing, the statement said.
All passengers and crew have to show proof that they’re fully vaccinated, reports said.
“All guests on Celebrity Millennium were required to show proof of vaccination as well as a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before sailing from St. Maarten this past Saturday,” the statement said.
“This situation demonstrates that our rigorous health and safety protocols work to protect our crew, guests and the communities we visit.”
The ship was at 30% capacity when it took off for a seven-day trip on Sunday from St. Maarten, with stops in Aruba, Barbados and Curacao, reports said.
The ship was in Curacao on Thursday and set to return to St. Maarten for Saturday, USA TODAY reported.
The Millennium had two doctors, 11 nurses and isolation cabins on board, “Good Morning America” reported when the ship set sail.
Celebrity is planning the first post-pandemic ship out of the US, in Florida, at the end of the month, the cruise line has said. The Celebrity Edge is set to take off from Fort Lauderdale with a fully vaccinated crew and a requirement that passengers over 16 show proof of vaccinations.
But confusion remains about how local laws and federal guidance will affect the policy.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has banned vaccine passports and challenged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for cruise ships. The CDC requires ships to have 98 percent of its crew and 95 percent of passengers fully vaccinated.