Paul Gauguin Ship Returns to Port After Suspected COVID-19 Case

The cruise ship Paul Gauguin returned to its homeport in Papeete, Tahiti over the weekend after a passenger tested positive for the coronavirus.

It was the line’s first cruise with international passengers since the shutdown in April.

When the suspected case was discovered, all passengers were informed and asked to stay in their cabins, according to The Maritime Executive.
The French Polynesia High Commission public health response team has initiated a contact-tracing investigation to determine who may have been exposed to the passenger in question. The Paul Gauguin, part of the PONANT Cruise Line, was carrying approximately 148 passengers – less than half of its 332-guest capacity – and 192 crew members.

“As soon as the boat docked, the person detected positive after a self-test carried out 4 days after his arrival on board the “Paul Gauguin” was subjected to a new RT-PCR test which confirmed his positivity. This person was immediately taken from the boat. A member of his family who shared his cabin has been tested and the result is negative. These two people were placed in strict isolation in a dedicated place,” PONANT said in a statement today. “In accordance with the health protocol in force, all contact cases, passengers and crew members, were quickly tested. The results of all contact cases are negative. Samples relating to all passengers and crew members were completed this evening and the results will be known (Tuesday).”

Pending the results, all passengers and crew members remain confined on board the boat in their cabin.

PONANT and Paul Gauguin had just begun its return to the seas in mid-July.

Earlier today, the Norway-based Hurtigruten cruise line temporarily suspended all expedition cruises after one of its ships suffered an outbreak last week on one of its ships.