P&O Cruises UK's ship Ventura is undergoing an extensive sanitation process at Southampton UK after an outbreak of norovirus affected passengers during a 14-night Canary Islands voyage. The vessel, which visited Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote, reported several cases of illness involving symptoms of sickness and diarrhea.
Passengers who fell ill were required to isolate in their cabins after the ship embarked from Southampton on May 11th. As of May 22nd, 0.64% of passengers showed symptoms, and those still symptomatic upon arrival were scheduled to disembark after other passengers.
An initial "enhanced sanitation" was conducted on May 17th in Tenerife. However, the Southampton Port Health Authority will now oversee a comprehensive cleaning of all onboard spaces. MS Ventura returned to Southampton on May 25th, where health officials are conducting the cleaning program.
The ship was set to depart for a 7-night cruise around Spain and Portugal on the same day, but this departure was delayed. Passengers booked for the upcoming voyage have been advised to arrive four hours later than originally scheduled to allow for the necessary sanitation procedures.
For more P&O Ventura incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.