Hurtigruten suspends COO as Covid cases rise

Wednesday, 07 Aug, 2020 0

Hurtigruten has suspended one of its top executives amid criticism it badly mishandled the outbreak of coronavirus onboard its cruise ship Roald Amundsen.

The cruise line’s Chief Operations Officer Bent Martini was suspended as Hurtigruten confirmed the number of people who have tested positive to Covid-19 is now 41 crew members and 21 passengers.

The company was criticised for not informing passengers about the outbreak before they disembarked in Tromso, Norway, last Friday, after four crew were taken ill and tests positive.

Martini and his family had been on the week-long cruise from Tromso to Svalbard, although it is not known whether he was involved in the decision to send passengers ashore without notifying them of the outbreak.

Two more crew members were admitted to hospital this week with coronavirus and two others have been discharged. All 158 crew members remain quarantined on the ship, which is still in port in Tromso.

Hurtigruten has been widely criticised as irresponsible for the way it has handled the situation, with Norway’s Prime Minister and Health Ministers both expressing their anger and Norwegian publication Aftenposten calling its actions ‘unforgiveable’.

Lisa

Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.

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