What about Bus Trips?

[Cruizer Bill]

With all the talk about how dangerous cruise ships are, what about bus trips?  The escorted tours that use buses have people sitting very closely together in confined spaces.  Plus, they eat close together in different dining venues and walk close together to hear the tour guide.  Aren't they just as dangerous as a cruise?

[catl331]

6 minutes ago, Cruizer Bill said:

Aren't they just as dangerous as a cruise?

Of course!

[MJSailors]

     I am not certain how conditions are in nearby Seattle, but in NY, we are very aware of the spread and the effects of Covid-19.

Just today, Gov. Cuomo made an executive order that people must wear masks in public if they cannot maintain a 6 foot social distance. This is difficult to do on mass transit or even crossing a street in NYC,so wearing masks in public is the order of the day.

    We live 80 miles from NYC in a  rural area. When we went to the local dump,I mean recycle center, yesterday, there was a sign informing patrons that they needed to be wearing a mask or nose and mouth covering. 

     With all the things that we are doing to prevent the spread of Covid-19, I am honestly surprised that a question would be posed about the safety of a bus trip/ tour.

     I would not even consider putting myself in such a predicament. I can not believe that bus tour companies are offering this to the public. Maybe it is because of where I live, maybe because my DH and I are grieving the loss of two wonderful neighbors due to Covid-19, but I am shaking my head over the posted question.

[Cruizer Bill]

I know four people who passed away from this virus, including the second person in the USA who passed away.  The reason I pose this question is because the Media has singled out Cruisers but why have they not considered other forms of travel or other activities that involve large numbers of people close together?  How about dance clubs, why don’t they talk about them?

[Sir PMP]

and airplanes..

[YXU AC*SE]

54 minutes ago, Cruizer Bill said:

With all the talk about how dangerous cruise ships are, what about bus trips?  

 

I can't speak to WA but tour operators in Ontario are basically shut down.  As is Greyhound.  

As for media, I am sure the klaxon headline of  'RESCUE ON THE HIGH SEAS' is somewhat more compelling than 'Sketchy dude on Greyhound has a cough'.  And sadly, news these days seems to be more about generating ratings points and click-throughs than it is about delivering content.   Scott. 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by YXU AC*SE

[iancal]

Probably because, to my knowledge, there are no busloads of people driving around aimlessly in search of a bus depot that will let the passengers alight and continue on their respective ways.

 

 

 

 

[npcl]

2 hours ago, Cruizer Bill said:

With all the talk about how dangerous cruise ships are, what about bus trips?  The escorted tours that use buses have people sitting very closely together in confined spaces.  Plus, they eat close together in different dining venues and walk close together to hear the tour guide.  Aren't they just as dangerous as a cruise?

Statistically speaking no. 

 

Because on a bus you are dealing with around 40 others.  So it comes down to what are the chances of one of the 40 people on the bus being infected. Of course if on the bus trip you go to very busy tourist sites the odds change.

 

On a week long cruise you will come in contact (contact being with 6 feet)  for at least a short period of time with probably half the people on the ships.  So what are the odds of at least one person on the ship being infected.

 

Of course at this time it does not appear as if anyone is running bus trips either, so it is all hypothetical.

 

 

[npcl]

2 hours ago, Cruizer Bill said:

I know four people who passed away from this virus, including the second person in the USA who passed away.  The reason I pose this question is because the Media has singled out Cruisers but why have they not considered other forms of travel or other activities that involve large numbers of people close together?  How about dance clubs, why don’t they talk about them?

They are shut down at the moment are they not?

 

Haven't heard of any stuck off shore trying to find a port to offload their dancers.

[BJzink]

2 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

and airplanes..

and all-inclusive vacations, like a cruise but on land.

[iancal]

Or stores, or restaurants, or churches, or any crowded public areas.  
 

[catl331]

3 hours ago, Cruizer Bill said:

Media has singled out Cruisers

Probably because the first big outbreak we heard about (other than Wuhan) was the Diamond Princess

[npcl]

https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-ships-with-confirmed-covid-19-cases-during-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-4

 

Here is why the CDC is so focused on cruise ships.  From the article referenced above there have been 1945 confirmed COVID-19 cases on cruise ships as of the articles date on April 12. Considering that ships like the Zaandam is listed as only having 9 confirmed cases when hundreds were reported with flu like symptoms, but not tested, it is clearly lower than the actual number of cases..  Also note that most ships were not sailing after March  so the total was kept far far lower than if they sailed.

 

Yet even that 1945 number is larger than the number of cases in countries like New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Iceland (all three have fairly intense test programs so it is not a matter of under reporting)  as well as today's total in 17 US states.

 

 

[ontheweb]

16 hours ago, MJSailors said:

     I am not certain how conditions are in nearby Seattle, but in NY, we are very aware of the spread and the effects of Covid-19.

Just today, Gov. Cuomo made an executive order that people must wear masks in public if they cannot maintain a 6 foot social distance. This is difficult to do on mass transit or even crossing a street in NYC,so wearing masks in public is the order of the day.

    We live 80 miles from NYC in a  rural area. When we went to the local dump,I mean recycle center, yesterday, there was a sign informing patrons that they needed to be wearing a mask or nose and mouth covering. 

     With all the things that we are doing to prevent the spread of Covid-19, I am honestly surprised that a question would be posed about the safety of a bus trip/ tour.

     I would not even consider putting myself in such a predicament. I can not believe that bus tour companies are offering this to the public. Maybe it is because of where I live, maybe because my DH and I are grieving the loss of two wonderful neighbors due to Covid-19, but I am shaking my head over the posted question.

We are just a tad further from NYC, about 85 miles give or take to the George Washington Bridge. We drove by the local bus depot yesterday, and instead of having a nearly full parking lot there was a total of one car parked.

 

Also, I don't think companies doing escorted tours are presently doing tours or even selling tours. I know I recently looked at Gate1's site (a company we have used in the past), and it basically says to stay safe until travel can resume.

[Mosaic]

4000 people in a confined space for DAYS

airplanes are not just for vacation

airplanes have high quality air filtration

more older susceptible people

sharing/interaction with a large number of people aboard a ship

...more

yes I would like to go on a cruise, but it certainly will not happen this year

 

[MJSailors]

18 hours ago, iancal said:

Or stores, or restaurants, or churches, or any crowded public areas.  
 

   Not certain where you are from,but in NY and neighboring states, those places are closed except for take out from restaurants and essential stores- grocery stores,pharmacies and possibly hardware stores.

[Oakman58]

8 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

   Not certain where you are from,but in NY and neighboring states, those places are closed except for take out from restaurants and essential stores- grocery stores,pharmacies and possibly hardware stores.

 

Ditto for here in Missouri.

[SteelMagnolia9]

I have an escorted tour booked for Eastern Canada in September with a well-known tour company. I and a friend booked it last December. The tour company is currently offering a future travel credit if one wants to cancel now. We made an early final payment in exchange for a good discount. We are in a “wait and see” posture with it being so far out. Would prefer a refund, but that is not on the table yet. It will be interesting to see how the tour companies move forward.

 

I also have a solo cruise booked with HAL in November, 11 nights S. Caribbean. I’m probably not going, but will wait until final payment in August to decide as I have a refundable deposit.

 

Will make my decisions as the dates get closer. 

[atexsix]

Seattle is entrenched in car culture like anyplace else out west and most people have access to a vehicle when not using public transportation. Seattle doesn't compare to NYC when it comes to their main and only form of transportation, so don't let all the tree hugging propaganda put out by Amazon, Starbucks, and "elected" officials fool you. 

 

With that being said, social distancing is still taken seriously out here, but thanks to our climate for 8 months of the year, we're an indoor town anyway.  I don't think people see it as a major inconvenience the way a more outdoorsy location would. 

 

FWIW, the Seattle buses that run behind my flat have been empty for weeks; they seem to be using the coaches that are temperature controlled (windows that don't open).  I rode it once.  Fares have been waived.  And there's no contact with the drivers, you enter/exit through the rear door.  I wore a mask and I didn't touch anything, but I don't think I'd feel so secure if it was packed.

 

So bus tours still might work if they limit the number of people that can be on them, not sure if they can break even doing it that way, but there are social distancing possibilities, especially if the riders have already been cleared by the ship.  The local operators and guides are another issue altogether and the one I'd be most leery about.  

 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by atexsix

[Cruising-along]

35 minutes ago, atexsix said:

With that being said, social distancing is still taken seriously out here

^This^

Yesterday our DSIL, who is in the front lines of the pandemic in the medical field in Seattle, told us that because we're taking it seriously and doing so well, we are flattening the curve.  Hurrah!  

[drowelf]

The DW and her sister had a Rail Tour (Canadian Rockies) scheduled for early May, that tour has now been cancelled by the Tour Company and I believe most of their tours until late summer. So its just not the sea based tourism industry that is shutting down. Its pretty much all tourism. 

[slidergirl]

3 hours ago, MJSailors said:

   Not certain where you are from,but in NY and neighboring states, those places are closed except for take out from restaurants and essential stores- grocery stores,pharmacies and possibly hardware stores.

Same for where I live.  Not even the lingerie clubs are open... 😉

 

I do have a former co-worker who spends the Summer Season as a bus tour guide, those week-long trips in the Utah/Colorado/Arizona area.    His company is not running any for the foreseeable time.  

Edited April 16, 2020 by slidergirl

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, MJSailors said:

   Not certain where you are from,but in NY and neighboring states, those places are closed except for take out from restaurants and essential stores- grocery stores,pharmacies and possibly hardware stores.

I'm also in NY state. Somehow liquor stores are on the list as "essential".

[MJSailors]

Yes,forgot about liquor stores.

[ontheweb]

56 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

Yes,forgot about liquor stores.

And one Church pastor wondered how places of worship were not essential while liquor stores were.