N.L. reports no new cases of COVID-19, with sailors on Conception Bay ship in isolation

There are nonew casesof COVID-19 and one new recovery in Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday, as a dozen sailors onboard a ship anchored in Conception Bay are dealing with mild symptoms, according to the shipping company that operates the vessel.

No one is in hospital due to the virus, and the province's active case count now sits at 16, according to a release from the Department of Health.

The departmentsaid it's working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Eastern Health, after 12 crew members aboard the Iver Ambition tested positive for the virus.

The department said testing has been completed, and all 15 crew members are isolating on board the vessel.

"There is no risk to the community. The ship and crew are following public health orders as directed by the Public Health Agency of Canada," the department's statement read.

To date, 161,796 people have been tested, including 259 since Monday's update.

Crew symptoms remain minor

The Iver Ambition, which originated in Belgium, is operated by Vroon, an international shipping company. Crew members became ill a few days before the ship arrived in Canada, according to an emailed statement from the company.

"The crew is doing well and only have very minor symptoms but we monitor them closely," Vroon spokesperson Christopher Savoyetold CBC News.

Savoye says that all crew were PCR tested prior to boarding, and the majority of the crew have been vaccinated.

The crew are of mixed nationalities, but it's unclear if any Canadians are onboard the vessel. Savoye says the company expects symptoms to remain minor, but it continues to monitor the crew closely.

He said the vessel is in contact with Vroon as well as local health and port authorities.

A similar incident occurred in May, when the Federal Montreal cargo ship sat anchored in Conception Bay while much of the crew were infected with COVID-19.

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