Major development in norovirus-hit cruise ship after Ambassador cruise passengers put in lockdown

A norovirus-hit cruise ship carrying hundreds of British passengers has been released from lockdown. Passengers had spoken of their fears after all 1,701 people onboard Ambition were stopped from disembarking for over 24 hours when it docked in Bordeaux on Tuesday. It came after one person died, and dozens became ill with a vomiting virus. Local authorities allowed those without symptoms to leave yesterday afternoon, while those who had been infected were ordered to remain onboard in isolation. Norovirus is a highly contagious form of gastroenteritis that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The 92-year-old British man who died had suffered a heart attack, and this appeared to be unrelated to the norovirus outbreak, health authorities said. Essex-based operator Ambassador Cruise Line said on Wednesday that 48 passengers and one crew member had “active cases of gastrointestinal illness”. There were a total of 1,187 passengers and 514 crew members onboard. Samples from those who were ill were tested at a local hospital in Bordeaux. One passenger, Seos Guilidhe, 52, from Belfast, told news agency AFP he was “playing bingo” during the lockdown, and “it is not as bad as it was during Covid”. He added that people were “going about as normal”. The ship set sail from Belfast on May 8 and called at Liverpool a day later, for a 14-night voyage to France and Spain. Cases of gastroenteritis rose following the embarkation of passengers in Liverpool. Ambassador Cruise Line said in a statement: “We would like to reassure guests that we take any illnesses aboard our fleet extremely seriously. “Enhanced sanitation and prevention protocols were immediately implemented across the ship in line with established public health procedures following the initial reports of illness. “The comprehensive health and safety measures introduced include increased cleaning and disinfection measures in public areas, assisted service in selected dining venues and ongoing guidance to guests regarding hand hygiene, including regular hand washing, use of hand sanitisers and the prompt reporting of any symptoms to the onboard medical team.” A spokesman for the cruise line said there was no link with the outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship.