Cruise Ship Passengers and Crew Sick with Stomach Flu

Dozens of passengers and crew members aboard the Crown Princess cruise ship that recently docked in Santa Barbara are sick with the Norovirus — a very contagious, often violent case of the stomach flu — the Public Health Department announced on Wednesday. Public Health Director Doctor Takashi Wada boarded the ship Wednesday morning and found that the vessel has heightened its sanitation protocols and “is taking all of the necessary precautions.” The ill passengers and staff have been isolated in their cabins, and the unaffected passengers were allowed to get off the boat. As of Tuesday morning, 37 individuals were ill, but that number rose to 83 by Wednesday, according to a statement from the company. Thousands are aboard the cruise ship, which departed from Los Angeles last Saturday.