Coronavirus: State Department issues warning for cruise ship passengers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As concerns over the coronavirus continue to grow, the U.S. State Department is urging Americans to avoid traveling on cruise ships.

Carnival Ecstasy returned early Monday morning at Jax Port after a four-day cruise to the Bahamas.

Action News Jax spoke with passengers heading home.

"Everybody seemed to have fun. The weather was a little rough coming back but it seemed to be pretty good, everybody looked like they were enjoying their time," passenger Russ Thrift said.

Thrift said the Ecstasy took all the proper precautions to make sure his family and all the crew members were safe on board.

"Lots of hand sanitizer and the crew made sure that everybody was trying to stay hygienic, reminding everybody to wash their hands," Thrift said.

He said people were asked to stay inside their cabins if they weren't feeling well to better protect other passengers.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said there’s higher risk for the elderly and people with underlying health issues.

This all comes after a cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco had at least 20 passengers on board that tested positive for COVID-19.

On Friday Carnival put out a statement saying they are continuing to increase monitoring, screening, and sanitation protocols to protect the health of the guest.

So far, the scare of the virus hasn’t stopped thrift and his family from traveling.

"Just depends on where, I’m sure that every cruise line will send out a warning if there’s any issues," Thrift said.

Carnival is giving passengers the chance to change or postpone their trips currently booked between now and May 31​.

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