Royal Caribbean cruise ship to return early after 577 passengers fall ill

Another possible norovirus outbreak on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has sickened 577 passengers and 49 crew members.

According to NBC News, the cruise line and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that the Explorer of the Seas ship had to stop midway through the cruise after passengers fell ill.

Now Bloomberg has reported that the cruise ship will actually end the voyage early and return to Cape Liberty, New Jersey on Jan. 29.

“The right thing to do is to bring our guests home early, and use the extra time to sanitize the ship even more thoroughly,” the cruise operator said in a statement.

The norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes acute gastroenteritis. Some of the symptoms include vomiting, watery diarrhea and stomach pain.

Earlier this month, dozens of passengers aboard Majesty of the Seas, another Royal Caribbean ship, became sick with what was also a suspected norovirus outbreak.