Cruise ship docked in San Francisco hit by norovirus outbreak

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – A Princess Cruises cruise ship docked in San Francisco has seen an outbreak of norovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC said that 102 out of the over 3,000 passengers onboard the Ruby Princess have been affected, along with 23 crewmembers.

Symptoms for those who have become ill include diarrhea and vomiting.

Passengers and crewmembers aboard the Ruby Princess were on a 20-day voyage that began on June 12 and was due to end on Thursday. The outbreak was reported on Saturday, the CDC said.

A representative from Princess Cruises confirmed the outbreak, telling Nexstar’s KRON4, “a limited number of guests reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the 20-day June 12 Ruby Princess voyage from San Francisco.”

“Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship,” Princess Cruises added.

The CDC says that in response to the outbreak, Princess Cruises and the Ruby Princess crew have undertaken the following actions:

Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures

Collection of stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testing

Isolated sick passengers and crew

Consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program about sanitation and reporting

The CDC said the VSP is remotely monitoring the situation and reviewing the Ruby Princess’s outbreak response.

The Ruby Princess arrived in San Francisco Thursday morning and was docked at Pier 27. The cruise company told KRON4 the ship would be undergoing “comprehensive cleaning and disinfection.”