Corona eruption on Hurtigruten ships

- We have now confirmed three cases of covid 19 infection in connection with a Hurtigruten ship that has come from Svalbard, says Tromsö municipality chairman Gunnar Wilhelmsen to NRK.

The ship MS Roald Amundsen arrived in Tromsö early on Friday morning, and two people were taken to hospital in connection with it. Later in the day, word came that they had covid-19, and this afternoon another one on board was confirmed to be infected. All are stated to be crew members.

According to Hurtigruten's management, two of those now found infected on board the ship were isolated several days ago, but they had no corona symptoms and were not suspected of carrying corona infection.

All of the crew of 160 people have now been isolated on the ship, which is not allowed to leave the port of Tromsö. And all passengers who have been on board, and on previous trips in July, are also asked to be quarantined. All will be tested for covid-19 as soon as possible.

No passengers are said to be left on board.

Line Miriam Haugan and her son took part in the sailing to Svalbard and tested themselves today in Finnsnes. Test results will not come until Monday, but the family has no symptoms.

- Infection safety was really taken seriously on board. Several times a day we were reminded to keep our distance, and it was plotted how we would stand where there was a queue. I think this could just as easily have happened on a plane or a bus, says Line Miriam Haugan to NRK.

The ship would have left Tromsö for another trip to Svalbard on Friday, a cruise that is now canceled.

According to the company, MS Roald Amundsen had 250 passengers on board on each cruise to Svalbard in June. If more people turn out to be infected, this could mean the disrupted cluster outbreak of covid-19 in Norway since the pandemic broke out.

UNN Hospital, which now cares for the three patients from MS Roald Amundsen, has not had any new cases of covid-19 since 5 June.