By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said local residents were never exposed to two teens who had tested positive for COVID-19 on board a Royal Caribbean International cruise which ported in Grand Bahama on Thursday.

The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the two passengers — who are younger than 16 — left the RCI Adventure of the Seas before the cruise ended its visit to The Bahamas.

Cruises, which recently resumed, are being closely watched for COVID-19 outbreaks.

According to the Post, all crew and passengers 16 and older are required to be vaccinated for cruises. Starting August 1, all passengers 12 or older will have to be vaccinated as well.

Mr D’Aguilar stressed yesterday that COVID-19 protocols worked as anticipated in this case.

“First and foremost, 97 percent of persons on the ship were vaccinated,” he said.

“These were young teens who hadn’t been vaccinated.

“Obviously we anticipated that there would be instances where persons would test positive on a cruise.

“These outcomes were debated at length with health officials prior to the launching of these cruises and they went through all the different scenarios that could arise.

“Once identified as positive on the ship, officials did their necessary contact tracing and identified another teen in a similar position. As part of the protocols we had to identify if persons would be taken off the ship, who would be the transportation provider and who would be the aircraft provider. The protocols dictated that the passengers come off the ship, went to the transportation provider that had been vetted and then a private aircraft that was vetted.”

Mr D’Aguilar said the passengers were tested on the ship before they disembarked.

“I’m not sure why they were tested,” he said. “Maybe a part of the protocols, probably because it was a five-day test that you get when you’re not vaccinated. But there was no exposure to locals during this entire process. There was no situation where they were moving in the local community.”

Mr D’Aguilar said the government does not pay to airlift cruise passengers who test positive for COVID-19.

“The cost is covered by insurance or the cruise company will take care of it,” he said. “There is no cost to the taxpayers at all.”