5 minute test = Carnival's way back to safe operation?

[evandbob]

33 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

I don't know if this test is the fix or not. If it was, do you really think Carnival would say "nope, we will never operate again because a 5 minute test during embarkation is too inconvenient?"

 

 Not at all. Carnival just won't do something like a test because of the time, added personnel and extra cost involved.  They will just sail without it.

[Joebucks]

7 minutes ago, evandbob said:

 

 Not at all. Carnival just won't do something like a test because of the time, added personnel and extra cost involved.  They will just sail without it.

 

If it is not mandated to them, then yea, they probably wouldn't adopt it for those reasons and for its invasive nature.

 

If it became mandated (which it probably wouldn't), then they would figure out a way to make the time, personnel, and cost would work. 100%.  Think of flights pre-911 and how many people would say that they are done flying because of the inconvenience of the TSA and other new measures. Think of that outrage if that switch on flying was flipped today. Oh the madness that would create. Everyone got over it though. They may not like it, but life continues.

[TNcruising02]

The only thing I could see even being a possibility is that passengers would have to show proof they had the test within two weeks of travel.  But even doing that is overkill.  Once there is a treatment that works and the virus has worked its way through the world, things will be different.  Hopefully, that will happen long before a vaccine is available.

[Surrealistic]

Even if they tested everyone on embarkation, the test is only accurate for that day.  Someone could test positive while onboard.  IMO, they need to establish new protocol as to what happens with sick passengers onboard and being allowed to dock with sick passengers.  Otherwise, you will have more deaths at sea like what is happening with the HAL ship. 

[Jerseygirl1416]

6 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

The bad thing about vaccines is that like the flu vaccine, it only covers one strain.  If they do come up with one for this strain, will another one pop up later that isn't covered by the vaccine? 

The flu vaccine contains at least 3 strains of virus, sometimes more.

[jperry2011]

21 hours ago, evandbob said:

If the OP is saying that everyone must go through a 5 minute test for COVID 19, think how much longer the entire embarkation process will become.  The ship will never be able to depart a home port the same day it started taking on passengers.

 

Will NEVER happen.

It takes longer 5 minutes already to go through security, wait in line, and get your sail & sign card etc.

 

They can test people at security then before you go through the doors to the ship pull anyone who is positive. Simple.

[Jamman54]

20 minutes ago, jperry2011 said:

It takes longer 5 minutes already to go through security, wait in line, and get your sail & sign card etc.

 

They can test people at security then before you go through the doors to the ship pull anyone who is positive. Simple.

Logistically impossible when you are talking about 3 or 4 thousand people. 

[jperry2011]

How is it impossible?! 

Your thinking that they have one machine and everyone stands there all day or something...

 

A testing machine at every door. The ship could easily leave the same day. Arrive a few hours early and leave at sunset.

[jperry2011]

6 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Logistically impossible when you are talking about 3 or 4 thousand people. 

3,000 people 5 minutes a test. 20 testing machines. It would take 12 hours to have everyone tested. Arrive 8am depart 8pm. 

 

Get a calculator.

[Roz]

Just now, jperry2011 said:

3,000 people 5 minutes a test. 20 testing machines. It would take 12 hours to have everyone tested. Arrive 8am depart 8pm. 

 

Get a calculator.

 

And that is for one ship.  

 

BTW, I got my degree from IUP.  Branch campus in Punxy.  Is it still there?

[Jamman54]

12 minutes ago, jperry2011 said:

How is it impossible?! 

Your thinking that they have one machine and everyone stands there all day or something...

 

A testing machine at every door. The ship could easily leave the same day. Arrive a few hours early and leave at sunset.

Taking the sample is simple. Probably takes 10 seconds. Label the sample, then put it in the machine. If you read the article it says it can detect a positive result in as little as 5 minutes, but if a person is negative the test can take up to 13 minutes to complete. Record the result, and pass it down the line.. Does the machine need to be cleaned or re- calibrated between tests?. Each test could wind up taking 15 to 20 minutes, or 3 to 4 tests per hour. If you have 20 machines running, that's only 60 to 80 people an hour. 3,000 people divided by 80 people an hour equals 37.5 hours needed to test everyone. Impossible! 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Jamman54

[tree.critter]

Only 5 minutes to test?!  Let's say 3,000 passengers multiply by 5 minutes each that is 15,000 minutes broken down to hours is 250 man hours just to test. How many employees would be needed to operate how many of these stations prior to boarding? 

[Roz]

I just think the whole process would be off putting to a lot of passengers and they would rethink their vacation options. 

[mpdog42]

10 hours ago, Elbozi said:

Thanks, I won't be offended if you lock it.  Prefer it really. Didn't mean to get people riled up,  just throwing an idea out there.  Idea may be entirely impractical.  Peace!

Elbozi, I wouldn't sweat it, You have a right to freedom of speech...and I didn't see you riling anybody up......Oh wait this is Cruise Critic, you don't have the right of free speech...Sorry!!

[tonit964]

50 minutes ago, tree.critter said:

Only 5 minutes to test?!  Let's say 3,000 passengers multiply by 5 minutes each that is 15,000 minutes broken down to hours is 250 man hours just to test. How many employees would be needed to operate how many of these stations prior to boarding? 

Plus, multiply that by all the ships in the fleet. Ain't gonna happen.

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, tree.critter said:

 How many employees would be needed to operate how many of these stations prior to boarding? 

Not just employees, trained medical personnel. 

[RWolver672]

18 hours ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

The flu vaccine contains at least 3 strains of virus, sometimes more.

 

And for some reason, it never covers the strain that comes out after you get the shot.  I had both pneumonia and a flu shot.  Got both flu and pneumonia right after a cruise.  Spent eight days in the hospital.  They told me  that the vaccines are hit and miss every year.  

[Elbozi]

2 minute tests.   There is a handheld wand version in works that is also 2 minutes.

 

https://www.axios.com/fda-coronavirus-two-minute-testing-kit-bodysphere-a665429d-488d-4edf-bd36-9180e2a06e4c.html

[Elbozi]

On 3/30/2020 at 4:48 AM, RWolver672 said:

 

And for some reason, it never covers the strain that comes out after you get the shot.  I had both pneumonia and a flu shot.  I got both flu and pneumonia right after a cruise.  Spent eight days in the hospital.  They told me that the vaccines are hit and miss every year.  

If this mutates into a deadlier strain like happened in the second wave of the Spanish Flu; then you may not be looking at cruising until far into 2021. That would send us into an economic depression.  Few would have the spare coin to waste.   

[Bgcruising]

On 3/29/2020 at 10:28 AM, jperry2011 said:

How is it impossible?! 

Your thinking that they have one machine and everyone stands there all day or something...

 

A testing machine at every door. The ship could easily leave the same day. Arrive a few hours early and leave at sunset.

 

The positive ones pulled, as you mentioned, could have already spread it. It wont do a bit of good to test people in the cattle chutes.

[tidecat]

If there's going to be testing at the pier, you need a secure area for the untested. Once people have confirmed negative, then they can exit the secure area. 

 

Extra manpower can be hired, but the extra space for people to be tested and maintain distance, all while holding onto their luggage, may be more problematic. Port Canaveral or Miami may have enough space to do that, but in a place like Mobile, it might make more sense to screen at the Civic Center, and bus the cleared passengers over/luggage to the terminal. 

[vintagegarage]

As a practical matter, once almost instant testing is in place during embarkation, what happens if you test positive, and are denied boarding?  Do you receive any kind of refund for your fare?  What if the test proves later to be a false positive?  Not a big deal for a 7 day Caribbean cruise, but what if you are denied boarding on a 100 day world cruise? 

 

Since there may be more positive results for others during the cruise, are they put off at the next port, or do they continue, quarantined in their room?  Does it depend on if they need medical attention or are asymptomatic?

 

Is there any official answer from Carnival to these questions?  I know in the Bloomberg interview with Arnold Donald, he said that it is not unexpected that one or more cases will still turn up on board and so Carnival will have a plan to handle the situation before they resume sailing.   That is the only official information that I have seen from Carnival.

 

I'm ready to cruise now, and don't care if there are covid cases discovered aboard my ship after it sails, as long as the cruise continues, those that need medical care receive it, and I can get home after the cruise.  At 72, I think taking a certain amount of risk is worth the benefit of seeing the world.  What is life worth if all you want to do is shelter under your covers in your bed?   I seem to be in the minority on this board..

[Purvis1231]

On 3/28/2020 at 12:10 PM, Elbozi said:

They are ramping up production of this nifty little device,  which gives a COVID19 test result in 5 minutes.      This is physically similar as the hundreds of thousands of units already in Urgent Cares, Doctors offices,etc, that give a Flu test result in 5 minutes.  

 

I can see a process where, at each port, everyone has to pass through this screening process to board.    Would probably need it at subsequent ports as well.    

 

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/28/21197944/coronavirus-test-fast-doctors-office-abbott-fda

The article is actually several months old- similar machines are in use in many places. I hope they rollout a cheap reliable salvia based test. 

 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Purvis1231
typo

[BlerkOne]

The fact is there will never be a 100% perfect solution and there will always be people whining about being inconvenienced even if there was one. There will be a new normal - people can accept it or be dragged kicking and screaming - but they can't stop it.

[Elbozi]

This is already being done in Europe,  people using swab test who tested positive were denied boarding.    You can surely find out exactly what the procedure is online.   It's talked about in this Youtube