COVID-19 case confirmed on board Paul Gauguin ship

The Gauguin's small size allows her to maneuver from deep seas to shallow lagoons as nimbly as a yacht.

A passenger on board a Paul Gauguin cruise ship has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Gauguin, which is owned by Ponant, was sailing between Bora Bora and the Rangiroa islands when a passenger from the United States tested positive for the virus.

The news came just days after 36 people on board Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen tested positive for COVID-19.

According to French Polynesian State Services (FPSS), the ship immediately returned to its homeport of Tahiti with 148 passengers and 192 crew members onboard.

Ponant has confirmed that the passenger, an asymptomatic 22-year-old female, was taken care of by the medical team on board and quarantined in a special cabin.

The passenger and her mother, who were travelling together, have since disembarked and been taken to a quarantine hotel.

All passengers and crew members who had been in contact with the woman have been tested, each returning a negative result.

Passengers residing in Polynesia or coming from abroad will be disembarked under “cordon sanitaire” however crew members will remain in quarantine on board for a week and all passengers and crew members will have to be re-tested within a week.

FPSS has launched an investigation into possible contact cases of the crew member.

The cruise line resumed its Tahiti and French Polynesia small-ship voyages for locals on 18 July and for international travellers on 29 July.

French Polynesia officially re-opened to international tourism on 15 July.

Paul Gauguin was acquired by Ponant in August last year.

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