French authorities lift lockdown of norovirus-hit cruise ship

2026-05-14 20:01:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A norovirus-affected cruise ship, carrying mainly passengers from the United Kingdom and Ireland, has had its quarantine order lifted in France.

All 1,701 people on board the Ambition were prevented from disembarking for more than 24 hours after it docked in Bordeaux on Tuesday, after one person died of a heart attack and dozens of others fell ill with a virus that causes vomiting.

Local authorities allowed asymptomatic people to disembark from Wednesday afternoon, while those who were infected were ordered to remain on board in isolation.

Norovirus is a highly contagious form of gastroenteritis that causes vomiting and diarrhea.

The person who died was a 92-year-old Briton who suffered a heart attack.

His death 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 on board.

Samples from those who were sick were tested at a local hospital in Bordeaux.

One passenger, Seos Guilidhe, 52, from Belfast, told the AFP news agency that he was "playing bingo" during the lockdown and "it's not as bad as it was during Covid".

He added that people were "going about normally."

The ship departed Belfast on May 8 and stopped in Liverpool a day later, for a 14-night voyage to France and Spain.

Cases of gastroenteritis increased after boarding a passenger ship in Liverpool.

Ambassador Cruise Line said in a statement: "We would like to assure customers that we take any illness aboard our fleet extremely seriously."

"Enhanced hygiene and prevention protocols were immediately implemented throughout the ship in accordance with established public health procedures following initial reports of illness."

“The comprehensive health and safety measures introduced include increased cleaning and disinfection measures in public areas, assisted service in select dining venues, and ongoing guidance to guests regarding hand hygiene, including regular hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, and prompt reporting of any symptoms to the onboard medical team.”

A spokesman for the cruise line said it was not linked to the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship./ CNA, translated by The Guardian