Diamond Princess passenger "tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus"

[wrp96]

26 minutes ago, Coral said:

When I had the flu - they did 2 nostril swabs. The first one for rapid test and the second one 30 minutes later (as I tested negative for the rapid) to test for several other things (including flu). I would have much preferred the throat but they said for the flu, nostril is how they test.

 

I have no clue about corona virus and am not a medical person. I can just say I hate nostril swabs. I wonder if it matters who is doing the tests also.

 

Nostril swabs are terrible no matter who is doing them. 

 

For flu, yes they do nostril swabs and it has to be deep, which seems similar to what I have seen illustrated for what they have to do to test for COVID19.

[Outerdog]

5 hours ago, fragilek said:

 that's odd that's not my quote under my name - think there must be gremlins in the system

 

5 hours ago, Pushka said:

It does this from time to time. Gets very confusing and things attributed to the wrong poster. 

 

This can happen if a poster highlights quoted text within a post and hits "Quote Selection". This will cause the quote to appear to come from the person originating the post quoting another. Example below from post #2775 above. Coral didn't say that...

 

29 minutes ago, Coral said:

I think the more swabs the better up to a certain point. Apparently the nostril sample can be quite difficult to do as you need to sample quite high in the nose, I've read that throat swabs tend to have a better chance of detecting the virus.

 

[Coral]

1 minute ago, wrp96 said:

 

Nostril swabs are terrible no matter who is doing them. 

 

For flu, yes they do nostril swabs and it has to be deep, which seems similar to what I have seen illustrated for what they have to do to test for COVID19.

Yea - I meant accuracy on "who is doing them". I almost didn't do the 2nd test as I so hated the first but I wanted to know what I had.

[em-sk]

8 hours ago, rickays said:

From NIID  Field Briefing: Diamond Princess COVID-19 Cases

https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/2019-ncov-e/9407-covid-dp-fe-01.html

I will make no comment regarding this report, either for or against, only putting it here because it is interesting reading. 

 

Interesting points:

 

- If your cabin mate tested positive you would also be tested and the 14 days reset after they were moved out.   That would suggest there may still be a few passengers on the ship who are under quarantine or why some who shared a cabin but were not positive were also transported to hospital.  

- Prior to quarantine transmission was between passengers.

- After quarantine transmission was mostly to cabin mates and crew.  

- Those under 40 have a relatively low rate of infection (under 10%).  Those above 70 a significantly higher rate (around 23%) .  

 

Most crew don't have private cabins and would not have had strict quarantine given some were needed for essential services.  

 

[fragilek]

1 minute ago, rabidstoat said:

 

I can't find the article now but I think in addition to the 14-day travel ban they have to have two recent and negative test results before being allowed to return to the US.

 

This all would've been much easier if Japan had instituted a 14-day land quarantine and assisted foreign passengers with self-quarantining to keep them from possibly infecting their country but apparently they aren't doing that.

 I got the impression when I read it that the requirement for 2 negative test was for those who tested +ve  previously- I make have interpreted wrong as only glanced through the article

[rich_cathybrock]

 

This is tough to watch. David and Sally Abel evidently being moved, and their son can't contact them right now.  Clearly had no sleep.  Sending prayers their way... 

[azbirdmom]

8 hours ago, rickays said:

From NIID  Field Briefing: Diamond Princess COVID-19 Cases

https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/2019-ncov-e/9407-covid-dp-fe-01.html

I will make no comment regarding this report, either for or against, only putting it here because it is interesting reading. 

 

Thanks for sharing.  I noticed a link to the updated report on the same page.  https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/2019-ncov-e/9417-covid-dp-fe-02.html .  As of the writing of this report, 537 passengers and 82 crew had been confirmed to have the virus.

[Kelownabccan]

Diamond Princess....crew stats......what is going on with them????.....you would think 1 out of 5 of them have the virus and where are they ...Japanese hospitals???? and the rest of the crew....are their countries sending them home also???? ......or are they staying on the virus ridden ship?????    a sad situation.....who would want to crew on that ship right now........"a ghost ship"

[canadianbear]

22 minutes ago, rich_cathybrock said:

 

This is tough to watch. David and Sally Abel evidently being moved, and their son can't contact them right now.  Clearly had no sleep.  Sending prayers their way... 

that is hard to watch.  His parents have been so good at communicating with basically the world and of course the family.  Hoping they’ve been moved to a good facility and their son heats from them soon.  

[hal2008]

18 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Thanks for sharing.  I noticed a link to the updated report on the same page.  https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/2019-ncov-e/9417-covid-dp-fe-02.html .  As of the writing of this report, 537 passengers and 82 crew had been confirmed to have the virus.

 

So about half of the people who were tested positive had no symptoms.

So much for people claiming they must be ok because they feel fine.

World is taking HUGE risk in trusting testing done in Combodia.

[hal2008]

2 minutes ago, Kelownabccan said:

Diamond Princess....crew stats......what is going on with them????.....you would think 1 out of 5 of them have the virus and where are they ...Japanese hospitals???? and the rest of the crew....are their countries sending them home also???? ......or are they staying on the virus ridden ship?????    a sad situation.....who would want to crew on that ship right now........"a ghost ship"

 

SItuation of exploited amd mistreated crew is pretty bad.

Just google to hear pleas in their own words.

 

Highly educated, wealthy pax were frustrated and scared in Japan.

Think about situation of a lowly crew member along in hospital in Japan with no connectivity to the outside world.

[Viv0828]

1 minute ago, hal2008 said:

SItuation of exploited amd mistreated crew is pretty bad.

Just google to hear pleas in their own words.

 

interesting that 99% of the stories on the news and posts on here are about the passengers and not the crew.

not judging, just commenting.

[Kelownabccan]

Princess Crew.....one would hope that Princess is not going to transfer the crew all over the fleet without some thought to the rest of the crew/staff and passengers all over the world.....what kind of testing is going on for them and quarantine.....?????.....all seems really quiet on this topic.....we are on a Princess ship in a month or so and would wish that crew and staff on that ship would not be sent to from the Diamond if not gone through a "quarantine" period....it would be nice to see some sort of "press" release from Princess on the topic.....????  or am I being to realistic???

[em-sk]

4 minutes ago, Kelownabccan said:

Princess Crew.....one would hope that Princess is not going to transfer the crew all over the fleet without some thought to the rest of the crew/staff and passengers all over the world.....what kind of testing is going on for them and quarantine.....?????.....all seems really quiet on this topic.....we are on a Princess ship in a month or so and would wish that crew and staff on that ship would not be sent to from the Diamond if not gone through a "quarantine" period....it would be nice to see some sort of "press" release from Princess on the topic.....????  or am I being to realistic???

 

There was a release from Princes that basically said once the passengers were off the crew would begin their own two week quarantine.  You would assume that would involve switching to individual cabins for everyone to provide isolation.  There was some mention in earlier posts of the crew getting two months paid vacation to take time off to recover.  

[hal2008]

4 minutes ago, Viv0828 said:

 

interesting that 99% of the stories on the news and posts on here are about the passengers and not the crew.

not judging, just commenting.

 

Be careful.

Being sympathetic to crew is not been taken kindly on this board.

Princess has offered two months of contractual minimum base pay and contractually guaranteed minimum gratuity (this is NOT same as what typical crew receive per week actually in usual course)

We have seen some posters expecting crew to be "grateful" for "generosity" shown by Princess!!!

 

Even though Japaneese authority was in charge of the quarrantine, Princess was involved in many decisions.

 

There were and are plenty of things Princess could have arranged very easily:

- Arrange for food delivery from outside which they eventually did after so many crew members were sickened working 16+ hours in dangerous condiitons

- Arrange for isolated sleeping on ship (there were plenty of unused spaces on the ship to put up one person tents)

- Let crew communicate with their family freely/frequently

- Arrange for couseling from home country

- Given the cirmcumstances, "battle-pay" for horrible workintg condition could certainly be more than the two months worth of contractual minimum 

 

Once can wonder what is more reprenensible though - action/inaction of Princess or posts in defense of Princess against poor crew members

 

 

[hal2008]

8 minutes ago, em-sk said:

 

There was a release from Princes that basically said once the passengers were off the crew would begin their own two week quarantine.  You would assume that would involve switching to individual cabins for everyone to provide isolation.  There was some mention in earlier posts of the crew getting two months paid vacation to take time off to recover.  

 

Would you be moving into a cabin just vacated by an infected person? 

Most of the posters here do not want to take cruise on ANY ship ANYWHERE in Asia!!!!

 

Just put yourself in shoes of that semi-educated crew member.

You are in foreign country. Alone.

Have seen people getting sick for 15 days and now you will be jailed for another 14 days in an infected cabin.

 

Princess need to get them off the ship and put in some hostel/hotel at least.

If pax can get off, why not crew?

 

"Paid vacation" is when you get same pay as you would get during your normal work.

Contractual minimum gurantee of base pay and minimum gratuity does not equal to normal pay.

 

In normal work environment, employer would have been sued for forceful involuntary endangerment.

(with compensation lot more than contractual minimum)

 

 

[bluesea321]

3 hours ago, seapals2 said:

 

 

 

A huge PR by Jan Swartz.  Just hope she now puts herself in quarantine.  14 days and counting!  

 

 

 

I offer this with no comments other than some feel different. 

 

https://nypost.com/2020/02/20/tone-deaf-princess-cruises-president-greets-coronavirus-ship-evacuees-with-air-kisses/

 

[hal2008]

3 minutes ago, bluesea321 said:

 

I offer this with no comments other than some feel different. 

 

https://nypost.com/2020/02/20/tone-deaf-princess-cruises-president-greets-coronavirus-ship-evacuees-with-air-kisses/

 

 

Quarrantine preferably in a cabin just vacated by a pax (similar to her crew)

Edited February 21, 2020 by hal2008

[azbirdmom]

4 minutes ago, bluesea321 said:

 

I offer this with no comments other than some feel different. 

 

https://nypost.com/2020/02/20/tone-deaf-princess-cruises-president-greets-coronavirus-ship-evacuees-with-air-kisses/

 

 

Yes, it seemed a little tone deaf to me as well.  I thought that the rest of the Princess releases have been spot on and some like the "hang in there one" actually made me a little misty eyed.  As an enthusiastic supporter of Princess, I have to say that this seemed a bit more of a photo op that was especially ill timed considering that it happened on the same day as the news of two fatalities on the ship.

[Viv0828]

28 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

Being sympathetic to crew is not been taken kindly on this board.

Princess has offered two months of contractual minimum base pay and contractually guaranteed minimum gratuity (this is NOT same as what typical crew receive per week actually in usual course)

We have seen some posters expecting crew to be "grateful" for "generosity" shown by Princess!!!

 

after seeing the effects of quarantining passengers in tight quarters i would hope that princess management would come up with a better plan for the crew.

i wonder if part of the problem contributing to the rapid spread of the virus was that sick crew members still had to work. if that is true, we pretty much know how the virus spread? 

i have sympathy for the passengers but i really feel for the crew - many of whom are the ages of the passenger's grandchildren. i hope princess will pay for any medical care the crew might need.

[bluesea321]

7 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

Thanks for posting this.

Instructions clearly suggest not taking public transportation but people are going to be people.

There were reports of Japanese pax going directly to the train station and take crowded trains to their hometown.

 

I saw a picture of the passenger disembarking.  The crew assisting the pax had full protective suits - masks, goggles, gloves, and full body coverings including hair.  The pax was getting into a taxi, free to go as he pleased.  The juxtaposition was surreal.

[chengkp75]

27 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

"Paid vacation" is when you get same pay as you would get during your normal work.

Contractual minimum gurantee of base pay and minimum gratuity does not equal to normal pay.

No, paid vacation is whatever is agreed upon in your collective bargaining agreement, since nearly all crew are union.  And, since the cruise ship crew get not one penny of money when "on vacation", then a couple of months pay is a bonus.  They are continuing to be paid while on the ship, even after the last passenger leaves, until they are released from quarantine and allowed off the ship.

[chengkp75]

31 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

Princess need to get them off the ship and put in some hostel/hotel at least.

If pax can get off, why not crew?

The various national governments negotiated with Japan to remove their nationals, and to pay for the continued quarantine to get those people from the ship to the airplane.  Do you think Princess has the same clout with the Japanese government?  And, what difference would a hotel over the ship make?  You're just changing the quarantine boundary, and enlarging the risk factors by having a quarantine in a place where people can more easily get out of the quarantine boundary.

[em-sk]

22 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

 

Would you be moving into a cabin just vacated by an infected person? 

Most of the posters here do not want to take cruise on ANY ship ANYWHERE in Asia!!!!

 

Just put yourself in shoes of that semi-educated crew member.

You are in foreign country. Alone.

Have seen people getting sick for 15 days and now you will be jailed for another 14 days in an infected cabin.

 

Princess need to get them off the ship and put in some hostel/hotel at least.

If pax can get off, why not crew?

 

"Paid vacation" is when you get same pay as you would get during your normal work.

Contractual minimum gurantee of base pay and minimum gratuity does not equal to normal pay.

 

In normal work environment, employer would have been sued for forceful involuntary endangerment.

(with compensation lot more than contractual minimum)

 

 

 

There are hundreds of cabins on this ship that belonged to people who tested negative.  You would assume they would use those cabins first.  

 

Hostels are normally multiple people sharing the same bedroom.  Not an idea place to be placing anyone.  

 

As for being in a foreign country alone.  The crew is on a ship they have spent months on, with people they have know for months to years.  

 

The crew is on a British ship under British law.  Not certain what rules apply in the UK, however I would expect that in most western countries if a government imposed quarantine is implemented at your work site you can't go after your employer in court for following a lawful quarantine order. 

 

Should the crew be given more vacation or paid more? Probably.  

 

 

[Viv0828]

3 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

No, paid vacation is whatever is agreed upon in your collective bargaining agreement, since nearly all crew are union.

 

i'll bet those collective bargainers never thought of a situation like this - i certainly would not have. i don't think there is anything in their agreement preventing princess from doing more than what was agreed upon.