Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has paused some of its cruise operations amid rising numbers of COVID-19 infections due to the omicron variant.

The sailings of 3 ships — Serenade of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas — have been paused while the return of its Vision of the Seas to cruising has been postponed to March 7, 2022, the cruise line said in a statement on Friday.

"We regret having to cancel our guests' long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding," the company adding that these measures have been implemented "in an abundance of caution."

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Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean called off its Spectrum of the Seas cruise for January 6 after 9 guests on its January 2 trip were identified as close contacts to a local Hong Kong COVID-19 case.

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The contacts have tested negative, but the cruise ship returned to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong on January 5 to test all guests and crew who were required to take a second test on January 8, the company said. (Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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