What is being done about coronavirus.....

[Floridiana]

2 hours ago, BBWC said:

Note that for all flights to Germany passengers now have to fill out an arrival card

 

 

The website of the German Federal Department of Health says for flights from China, Iran, South Korea, Japan, and Italy. Doesn't say anything about all flights.

[Travelcat2]

Do the “wipes” work?  Here are some preliminary answers:

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/health/lysol-clorox-coronavirus-disinfectants-trnd/index.html

 

As much as it would be nice to have a sink and soap available to us 24/7, this is obviously not possible.  Based on what I’m reading, we will disinfect surfaces in our suite with Clorox wipes and will wipe down salt/pepper shakers if we use them and will definitely disinfect our hands after going to the buffet (something that we have been for quite some time).

[geegeecruiser]

6 hours ago, Floridiana said:

The first German patients have recovered. All were connected to Wuhan. There are new cases connected to travel in Northern Italy. Several patients have minimal symptoms, 1 or 2  cases are serious. Germany recorded all the early cases immediately and physicians have published an article about it.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc2001899?articleTools=true

Leave it to the Germans to be organized, orderly and on top of things. We were recently there....everything, including roads, train stations, main Blvds. were spotless!  No surprise they have already published an article.

[Floridiana]

Who knows whether the wipes work, but they are known to kill other bugs. I always take hand wipes with me because I prefer them to gels. We always wash our hands diligently and often, will do more so on our next cruise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hambagahle]

9 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Do the “wipes” work?  Here are some preliminary answers:

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/health/lysol-clorox-coronavirus-disinfectants-trnd/index.html

 

As much as it would be nice to have a sink and soap available to us 24/7, this is obviously not possible.  Based on what I’m reading, we will disinfect surfaces in our suite with Clorox wipes and will wipe down salt/pepper shakers if we use them and will definitely disinfect our hands after going to the buffet (something that we have been for quite some time).

Jackie - I am going to look in a super market when I get to the US for little packets of salt.  Ken and I eat a lot of salt (maybe compensating for living far from the sea!) and I thought that if I had some packets in my handbag we could use those rather than touch a salt shaker.  One less thing to worry about as it were.

[Floridiana]

10 hours ago, geegeecruiser said:

Leave it to the Germans to be organized, orderly and on top of things. We were recently there....everything, including roads, train stations, main Blvds. were spotless!  No surprise they have already published an article

 

All the organization doesn't help in the end. After everybody thought things were under control, people came back from skiing in Northern Italy carrying the virus unknowingly. One man was out and about including at a carnival event. He thought he had a cold. He is one of the rare cases that now fight for their life. 

 

Before there were social media, in the fifties and sixties, other waves of a corona type virus came through. I remember one called Hongkong flu. Nobody panicked at that time.

 

 

[greykitty]

Switzerland cancels all meetings of over 1,000 through March.  Smaller meetings must do risk assessment.

 

https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/mass-gatherings-cancelled-in-switzerland-as-coronavirus-takes-heavy-toll-on-europe/news-story/3258cac19b8bcd3838fa008fcb563df6

 

Many other business conferences have been cancelled and switched to teleconferences, if you take a look at business news.  

[Belfast Taxman]

Very sad to see the first cruise related Covid 19 death, Uk male on Diamond Princess.

[Hambagahle]

1 hour ago, greykitty said:

Switzerland cancels all meetings of over 1,000 through March.  Smaller meetings must do risk assessment.

 

https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/mass-gatherings-cancelled-in-switzerland-as-coronavirus-takes-heavy-toll-on-europe/news-story/3258cac19b8bcd3838fa008fcb563df6

 

Many other business conferences have been cancelled and switched to teleconferences, if you take a look at business news.  

Our Federal Council has taken a bold decision.  It has affected, amongst lots of other things the Geneva Motor Show which is a huge event and which is now not happening.  Also the Basel carnival - "Morgenstreich" etc.   Even the Engadine cross country ski marathon has been cancelled...

[gb58]

Here's a thought: Every time you read something about COVID-19, just replace COVID-19 with "the flu" or a "bad URTI" (for the Yanks...) & carry on reading. See if it makes you feel better...

[BBWC]

The US State Department today issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Italy - Reconsider Travel.

[mrlevin]

1 hour ago, BBWC said:

The US State Department today issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Italy - Reconsider Travel.

 

And Regent updated the advisory on their website and . . 

 

. . . didn't mention Italy 

 

or

 

anything about the change in final payment or cancellation policy

 

or

 

anything useful at all.

 

Marc

[Travelcat2]

The news can barely keep up with changes so perhaps we should give Regent a chance?  They do have Italy on their itinerary for April.  The first people that event will likely contact are those passengers on itineraries that include Italy.  We do not have a sailing booked that includes Italy so I understand that we will not be amongst the group that will hear from Regent first.  

 

As has been said for as long as I can remember, “patience is a virtue”.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

51 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

The news can barely keep up with changes so perhaps we should give Regent a chance?  They do have Italy on their itinerary for April.  The first people that event will likely contact are those passengers on itineraries that include Italy.  We do not have a sailing booked that includes Italy so I understand that we will not be amongst the group that will hear from Regent first.  

 

As has been said for as long as I can remember, “patience is a virtue”.

I agree. I am sure that Regent is doing everything they can to keep up with the situation and will contact guests as necessary. 

We are still on schedule to leave for California a week from Tuesday. And board Splendor on March 14th🙏🤞👍👊😘🚢

[Hambagahle]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

The news can barely keep up with changes so perhaps we should give Regent a chance?  They do have Italy on their itinerary for April.  The first people that event will likely contact are those passengers on itineraries that include Italy.  We do not have a sailing booked that includes Italy so I understand that we will not be amongst the group that will hear from Regent first.  

 

As has been said for as long as I can remember, “patience is a virtue”.

Excellent reply Jackie.   And April is 4 weeks away.  A lot can happen in a month - good and bad.   I have to say though that all the infections so far here in Switzerland have come from people who were in Italy.   Living 45 minutes from the Italian border I am of course concerned about this.   However so far there have been no reported cases in the Val d'Aosta (near where we live).  Nearest one is in Torino which is over 2 hours drive away - like Milan for that matter.

[flossie009]

6 hours ago, mrlevin said:

 

And Regent updated the advisory on their website and . . 

 

. . . didn't mention Italy 

 

or

 

anything about the change in final payment or cancellation policy

 

or

 

anything useful at all.

 

Marc

 

............ and still Regent has decided not to make the Coronavirus Advisory available on their UK website 😕

[liptastic]

3 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

 

............ and still Regent has decided not to make the Coronavirus Advisory available on their UK website 😕

Susan thanks for posting this as I have been looking on the website and thinking I don’t see any information here. Plenty time for advertising tho as Graham’s weekly recommendation email just popped in !    Jean.

[flossie009]

8 hours ago, BBWC said:

The US State Department today issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Italy - Reconsider Travel.

 

The US Government and CDC advice to "reconsider travel" and to "avoid all non-essential travel" to the whole of Italy seems very blunt and non-specific, even though the hotspots of virus cases are presently confined to particular areas in the north.

If my geography is correct then US travellers can travel to Nice (350km from the hotspot) with impunity (CDC level 1; US Gov level 2), but are advised to avoid southern Italy (1000km from the hotspot).

 

UK Government advice for Italy (as of this morning) remains very precise as "The FCO now advise against all but essential travel to 10 small towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto which have been isolated by the Italian authorities" 

[flossie009]

20 minutes ago, liptastic said:

Plenty time for advertising tho as Graham’s weekly recommendation email just popped in !

We no longer receive Graham's weekly advertising; where is he suggesting this week? Not Asia or Italy, I bet 😉

[liptastic]

3 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

We no longer receive Graham's weekly advertising; where is he suggesting this week? Not Asia or Italy, I bet 😉

This week it was the Carribean. 😊. To be honest the more you read and hear each day it seems to be completely confusing.  I was in town yesterday and it’s like a panic mode approach in the shops and especially in the pharmacy stores with no antibacterial gels or wipes to be had.   Jean.

[Floridiana]

3 hours ago, liptastic said:

I was in town yesterday and it’s like a panic mode approach in the shops and especially in the pharmacy stores with no antibacterial gels or wipes to be had.   Jean.

 

Same situation in Germany my friends tell me.

[greykitty]

Maybe just me being recently retired from the corporate financial world (global financial services), but seems to me a company that can brag about a $200,000 mattress for one suite on one ship can somehow find financial resources to hire  lowish-level risk officers (or even interns!) to scan the mail as much as a layperson, and then enough IT people to update a website on at least a daily basis.  Even if they have to wait for someone at an executive level to sign off twice a day on what's good to release. 

 

I suspect lack of updates is more strategic than purposeful, unless the cruise line truly is less than up to date on key components of its corporate face to the world.

Edited February 29, 2020 by greykitty

[Kiwifromkiev]

13 minutes ago, greykitty said:

 

I suspect lack of updates is more strategic than purposeful, unless the cruise line truly is less than up to date on key components of its corporate face to the world.

I totally agree - for the same reason as the update (as ineffective as it is) is hidden at the bottom of the page, whereas the majority display prominently at the top of their pages.

 

[Kiwifromkiev]

18 minutes ago, Floridiana said:

 

Same situation in Germany my friends tell me.

and NZ - although some suburbs with particular demographics seems to be "panic buying" more than others.

 

[Floridiana]

I am following three bloggers on the MS Amsterdam which has a similar itinerary to the Mariner. The Amsterdam was in Tonga after two other cruise ships were refused entry. Local restaurants and other tourist businesses are hurting.