Hundreds of workers stuck on ship in Germany after outbreak

Hundreds of ship-building workers are stuck on a brand new luxury cruise ship in the northern German port of Bremerhaven after two were diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The workers may not leave the ship, under the port medical authority's regulations, a spokesperson for the Meyer Werft shipyard said on Saturday.

The cases were identified on Wednesday and confirmed by PCR tests the following day. The two patients have been separated from the rest of the staff although it was unclear whether they had left the liner.

The workers are now being tested every day but no other cases have been found so far. The shipyard said it was discussing the next steps with the authorities.

A city health authority spokesman told dpa that there were currently no lab-confirmed cases aboard the vessel. The ship however has not been cleared as the port medical authority is investigating the outbreak.

The liner, named the Odyssey of the Seas, had reached the port last weekend for final work to be completed.