--- description: The CDC confirmed an American woman who traveled on the Westerdam cruise ship does not have COVID-19. Her diagnosis was a false positive. title: An American Westerdam Cruise Ship Passenger Does Not Have COVID-19 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b2e43b498085dd4/698a0a9c01168244ee97f040/Westerdam-cruise-ship-1.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [COVID-19](/tag/covid-19/) ## COVID-19 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A U.S. Woman Who Traveled on the _Westerdam_ Cruise Ship Does Not Have Coronavirus After All, CDC Says  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Feb 24, 2020 5:38 PM CUT  A Chinese woman looks at her mobile sitting near the MS Westerdam cruise ship docked nearby in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Feb. 17, 2020. A Chinese woman looks at her mobile sitting near the MS Westerdam cruise ship docked nearby in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Feb. 17, 2020.Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Feb 24, 2020 5:38 PM CUT An American woman [feared to have potentially spread COVID-19](https://time.com/5785109/coronavirus-confirmed-westerdam-cruise-ship/ "undefined") to other passengers aboard Holland America Line’s _Westerdam_ cruise ship does not seem to have the novel coronavirus after all, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed. The false-positive is only the latest development in the _Westerdam_ saga. After rumors spread that a passenger on board the _Westerdam_ had coronavirus, the [vessel was denied entry](https://time.com/5784469/cambodia-coronavirus-cruise-ship-passengers-leave/ "undefined") at ports in five different countries—even as the cruise line maintained that nobody on board was sick with COVID-19\. Passengers celebrated when some were finally allowed to disembark in Cambodia in mid-February. The tone changed dramatically, however, when news spread that an 83-year-old American woman—whom the cruise line said showed no signs of illness while on board—had tested positive for COVID-19 in Malaysia after disembarking from the _Westerdam._ Her diagnosis stoked fears that other people who had been aboard the boat—many of whom disembarked in Cambodia and then continued on to other destinations—may have unknowingly acted as carriers for the virus, potentially contributing to its spread worldwide. After news broke, passengers still on the ship were told to stay on board, and those who got off but stayed in Cambodia were directed not to leave the country. Later testing on the American woman, however, came back negative for COVID-19\. While the CDC has not tested the woman directly, a spokesperson confirmed to TIME that after the patient’s initial positive result, two subsequent tests came back negative. Follow-up testing on 1,500 other passengers aboard the ship also came back negative. “At this time, CDC considers passengers from the _Westerdam_ to be at ‘no risk’ or ‘low risk’ of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the 14 days after their last exposure,” the spokesperson said. It’s not entirely clear why the woman initially tested positive for COVID-19, though CDC officials have said she may have had another respiratory illness. [Cambodian news outlets reported](https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50694552/health-minister-thanks-us-cdc-for-confirming-the-83-year-old-american-woman-never-had-covid-19 "undefined") that Malaysia’s health minister thanked the CDC for saying the woman never had COVID-19. Despite the apparent false-positive, many of the woman’s fellow travelers are still exercising caution. One family [told ](https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/02/22/coronavirus-cruise-ships-westerdam-passengers-lives-still-affected/4841819002/ "undefined")USA _Today_ that they had been asked to self-quarantine for two weeks back home in England, while American Elly Chybowski and her husband, who shared a dining table with the woman on the _Westerdam_, are self-quarantining at their home in Wisconsin until Feb. 27. _Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking_ [_on this link_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/coronavirus?source=article "undefined")_, and please send any tips, leads, and stories to_ [_virus@time.com_](mailto:virus@time.com "undefined")_._ “The disruption to the lives of so many is tremendous,” Chybowski told USA _Today_. “The emotional stress to all of us during the time of uncertainty before we got home is immeasurable.” Tensions around sea travel are high, given that another cruise ship, the _Diamond Princess,_ has become a hotspot of the COVID-19 outbreak. [More than 600 travelers ](https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200221-sitrep-32-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=4802d089%5F2 "undefined")on the ship contracted the disease, in part due to [delayed containment measures](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/22/world/asia/coronavirus-japan-cruise-ship.html?&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit%5Fnn%5F20200223&campaign%5Fid=9&instance%5Fid=16217&segment%5Fid=21539&user%5Fid=37dd5fd6e3d961734609e5f3386d6d0c®i%5Fid=99615693%5Fnn%5F20200223 "undefined") on board. The CDC has since issued [specific guidelines](https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/maritime/recommendations-for-ships.html "undefined") for managing suspected coronavirus cases on ships. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5789745/westerdam-coronavirus-false-positive/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5789745/westerdam-coronavirus-false-positive/"},"headline":"A U.S. Woman Who Traveled on the Westerdam Cruise Ship Does Not Have Coronavirus After All, CDC Says","datePublished":"2020-02-24T17:38:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T08:18:10.347Z","description":"The CDC confirmed an American woman who traveled on the Westerdam cruise ship does not have COVID-19. 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