The passenger who tested positive for coronavirus aboard the only cruise ship to sail in Alaska during the pandemic does not have COVID-19, according to the ship’s operator.
Last week the Wilderness Adventurer, operated by Uncruise, turned around halfway through its first trip of the season after a passenger got a call saying he had tested positive for COVID-19 at the Juneau airport.
It’s unclear at this time how the passenger received the positive test and why he was later cleared. The test was processed at a state lab, and according to Mila Cosgrove, who heads up Juneau’s emergency operation, a false positive from the type of test conducted at the airport is “highly unlikely.”
The ship returned to Juneau, where all passengers quarantined at a local hotel. The crew of the boat quarantined on board the vessel.
The Wilderness Adventurer left for a shipyard in Seattle after state health officials tested and cleared the crew, according to Dan Blanchard, the company’s CEO.
Blanchard says the majority of the ship’s passengers have tested negative and been released from quarantine, but there are still some passengers awaiting test results.
Uncruise had four additional sailings planned for this season, but those have all been canceled.
This is a developing story. New information will be added when it is available.
Note: The headline for this story has been changed: The original headline — “Uncruise says Wilderness Adventurer did not have COVID-19 on board after all” was incorrect. The passenger tested positive on board, but has since tested negative.
