Belgian man who became sick on Hurtigruten died of coronavirus

An elderly Belgian man who fell ill on board the Hurtigruten ship Fridtjof Nansen in mid-March died of the coronavirus.

His wife was also infected with the virus this spring, as well as a Dutch couple of their friends who were with them on the trip.

Hurtigruten told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that they were subsequently notified of twelve people who contracted a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection on their ships in February and March.

On March 3, Hurtigruten’s management discussed what they should do if someone on board got infected with the coronavirus.

The answer they came up with was, among other things, to inform fellow passengers and crew, the investigation into the company, that took place after the incident with the boat Roald Amundsen in Tromsø, revealed.

Information delayed

Acting Operations Director Asta Lassesen in Hurtigruten says that the company did not receive information about infection that could be linked to their ships until July.

“A travel agency communicated that one of its clients had died of COVID-19 at the end of May, but without linking it to the cruises,” she said.

Hurtigruten believes it is difficult to determine where the infection came from, whether on a trip to the ships or onboard the ships.

Nevertheless, it is not excluded that the infection may have occurred during the voyages.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today