A dozen crew members on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Greece have now tested negative for COVID-19 twice after initially testing positive, according to the ship’s operator TUI cruises.
The 12 crew members aboard the Mein Shiff 6 cruise liner tested positive for the virus on Monday and were immediately isolated, along with 24 other crew members who had come into contact with them. But those “unclear positive” results were later identified as negative by two further tests — PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests performed on the ship by TUI Cruises and rapid antigen tests conducted by Greek authorities in the port city of Piraeus, according to a press release from TUI Cruises.
“A further PCR test, carried out by Greek authorities, should confirm this again. The results are expected later today,” the company said in the statement Tuesday, calling the incident a “possible false alarm.”
None of the 12 crew members have shown any symptoms, and rapid antigen tests for the 24 close contacts also came back negative.
The ship departed Sunday night from the port city of Heraklion, the capital of the Greek island of Crete, with all 922 guests testing negative for COVID-19 prior to boarding. Crew members are tested for the virus every two weeks, according to a TUI spokesperson.
The company resumed cruise operations in late July in Germany and started sailing in Greece on Sept. 13, according to the spokesperson.
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
