Royal Caribbean halts hiring in India, suspends Indian crew assignments as Covid cases surge

Royal Caribbean halts hiring in India, suspends Indian crew assignments as Covid cases surge

The Mariner of the Seas cruise ship, operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and host to the Coinsbank Blockchain Cruise Asia, sits off Paradise Beach in Phuket, Thailand, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. When 600 cryptocurrency enthusiasts set sail from Singapore on Monday night for their second annual Blockchain Cruise, the price of Bitcoin was hovering comfortably above $13,500. By the time their 1,021-foot-long ship pulled into Thailand on Wednesday, for an afternoon of bottomless drinks and crypto-focused talks on a sun-soaked private beach, Bitcoin had cratered to $10,000.

Royal Caribbean Cruises is temporarily suspending all assignments for its staff from India and will halt hiring in the country, amid a surge of Covid-19 cases there, according to a report by Crew Center.

India reported a record number of coronavirus cases for the fifth consecutive day on Monday, with over 350,000 new infections over a 24-hour period and 17 million total infections in the country.

"It's always unfortunate when we must cancel assignments but we believe this is a prudent decision at this time," the news outlet reported, citing a letter sent by Royal Caribbean International that it had obtained. "It's not the way that we want to operate, but it is the