Will obese cruisers need a medical note?

[hcat]

For discussion

 

NY Times online (Yahoo News ? ) has an article that references a recent study about Obesity and Covid risks  and its consequences.. for the both  young and old.

 

 

 

Excerpt:

 

"One of the largest U.S. studies to identify obesity as a prominent risk factor analyzed data from more than 4,000 COVID-19 patients who sought care at NYU Langone Health between March 1 and April 2.

 

“Obesity is more important for hospitalization than whether you have high blood pressure or diabetes, though these often go together, and it’s more important than coronary disease or cancer or kidney disease, or even pulmonary disease,” said Dr. Leora Horwitz, the paper’s senior author and director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Science at NYU Langon..."

 

If this research holds up, does anyone think CLIA  ( or CDC) will suggest  a requirment for "fit to cruise" med notes from obese cruisers regardless of age?

 

[hcat]

Article defines Obesity:

Obesity is defined by a measure called body mass index, which is based on a formula that divides one’s weight in kilograms by the square of one’s height in meters. Someone who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 203 pounds would have a BMI of 30, which is considered obese

[C-Dragons]

That’s a very interesting question. The answer would be a double edged sword for the cruise industry, imo. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Interesting topic for discussion.  I hate to think that we are moving toward such restrictions. Since C-19 has only been a thing for a very short period of time, I highly doubt that their "recent study" was hardly long enough to qualify as a true study.

[mafig]

I haven't seen them addressing smokers.   Supposedly, smokers (because they smoke) have a higher risk of complications with the virus, but Celebrity did not put them into their risk group.

[marieps]

Job one for the cruise industry, IMHO, is to keep passengers from being infected in the first place, no matter what their pre-existing condition.  An infected passenger means quarantine, red flags and more bad press.  I don't believe obesity make you more likely to contract the disease.  It means you are at greater risk once you get it.  Thoughts?

[Bo1953]

My weight loss before sailings will exclude me from the obesity issue... LOL

 

Once I gain it all back while on the sailing, it is way too late to stop me at embarkation!!!

 

bon voyage

[Redrobo]

3 minutes ago, marieps said:

Job one for the cruise industry, IMHO, is to keep passengers from being infected in the first place, no matter what their pre-existing condition.  An infected passenger means quarantine, red flags and more bad press.  I don't believe obesity make you more likely to contract the disease.  It means you are at greater risk once you get it.  Thoughts?

 

How can that be done when passengers didn't take the health questionnaire seriously, bringing norvo onboard with them. The only way the cruise industry can be held responsible is if they fail to take action when an infected passenger is detected.

[marieps]

2 minutes ago, Redrobo said:

 

How can that be done when passengers didn't take the health questionnaire seriously, bringing norvo onboard with them. The only way the cruise industry can be held responsible is if they fail to take action when an infected passenger is detected.

Now nice it would be if cruise lines were not blamed for incidents not their fault.  When was the last time that happened, BTW?  RCL got sued in the tragic death of that fallen toddler.  Was RCL in any way to blame for such a horrific accident?  Hardly, IMHO.  None the less....

[Life Buoy]

They need to present a form only if they're over 70. IMHO: This is another reason why the form is useless!

[Fouremco]

@hcat, there are numerous groups more susceptible than others to COVID-19, but until the CDC acknowledges them in the same manner as 70+ passengers with underlying medical issues, you won't see the CLIA or its members taking any steps to require a doctor's "fit to sail" note from them. While in may not be fair to make a fit 70 year old acquire a note but not an obese 69 year old, I won't be sailing until the need for such notes has passed, so it has become a moot issue for me. 

[sanger727]

9 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

@hcat, there are numerous groups more susceptible than others to COVID-19, but until the CDC acknowledges them in the same manner as 70+ passengers with underlying medical issues, you won't see the CLIA or its members taking any steps to require a doctor's "fit to sail" note from them. While in may not be fair to make a fit 70 year old acquire a note but not an obese 69 year old, I won't be sailing until the need for such notes has passed, so it has become a moot issue for me. 

 

The 70 year old thing is something they can't overlook. You give them your DOB, and therefore your age, when you book your cruise. What cruise line employees want to be on the front lines calling people out for being obese. I get that most people would generally agree that someone who is morbidly obese is obese. But the line between healthy weight, overweight, and obese can get blurry. No one is going to want their employees telling people "you are obese and need a doctor's note".

[Mike981]

Nope, don't see it happening. The BMI is widely know as a faulty measurement.

[Chippytoes]

18 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

Nope, don't see it happening. The BMI is widely know as a faulty measurement.

This.  Furthermore, a lot of athletes could be considered "obese" by simply looking at a BMI

[JT1962]

Princes posted some updated guidelines recently that may give some ideas what other lines will do. They mention underlying health conditions and exposure to Covid-19, but nothing specific to age, obesity or specifics on health conditions. They also mention secondary screenings by medical staff at the terminal in certain cases, but no specifics.

One of the main statements is that those who provide false information may be removed from the ship at the next port and face additional legal consequences if they did not disclose symptoms.

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/keeping-you-safe-and-healthy/


https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/plan/Health-Advisory-and-Travel-Safety-Procedures.pdf

[alwaysonaship]

I am not obese, but am over 70. I am so fed up with these cruise lines trying to cover themselves that we will just take other vacations. We have had some lovely cruises, but I am not going to let them take our money, pay no taxes, and direct who and who not can cruise on their ships. 

[Glendakayself]

Hubby had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and I mentioned that we have a cruise booked for September. In the doc's opinion, to be safe the cruiseline would need to be able to administer rapid-result test for everyone when they board. That sounded good, but then I realized that that would have to happen in every report before we returned to the ship. What a mess that would be!

[Mike981]

14 minutes ago, Chippytoes said:

This.  Furthermore, a lot of athletes could be considered "obese" by simply looking at a BMI

 

Hey Chippytoes, as a born and raised Wisconsinite can I ask is your name related to a certain location in Wisconsin that has great beer and lumberjack competitions?

[Chippytoes]

Just now, Mike981 said:

 

Hey Chippytoes, as a born and raised Wisconsinite can I ask is your name related to a certain location in Wisconsin that has great beer and lumberjack competitions?

HA! It isn't, but now I'm curious where you're referring to? I'm in Door County..

[Mike981]

We took our family to Door County and loved it. What a special area. We took in a lot of the tourist stuff, including the outdoor theater. That was a lot of fun.

 

I was thinking Chippewa Falls, BTW I was raised in Madison.

[nobog]

I was thinking Hayward...

[chipmaster]

A leisure activity where eating all you can all the time is going to restrict for obesity, that is the kettle calling it'self black, LOL

 

Maybe not obese when you get on, but certainly obese when you get off!

 

But I travel a lot to the Far East, they love to eat just like most of us, but the obesity level is far lower.  

[39august]

As far as Princess guidelines, I don't believe that Carnival Corp., Princess's owner, ever adopted the Dr. note suggested by CLIA. I am going to fax the note to my doctor in a couple of weeks and ask if she thinks she could sign it if my  health and lab results remain the same as my last check up. Going to have my husband do the same with his doctor, as we are both in good health with no underlying conditions but over 70. 

[cl.klink]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

Article defines Obesity:

Obesity is defined by a measure called body mass index, which is based on a formula that divides one’s weight in kilograms by the square of one’s height in meters. Someone who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 203 pounds would have a BMI of 30, which is considered obese

 

A few years ago, the formula was changed to the current one.  The change took effect at a specific date and time.  The night before I went to bed svelte, then woke up the next morning obese.

 

Very depressing day.

 

- Joel

[Redtravel]

People come in all sizes and shapes. They are tall, short, slim, heavy, young, old, etc. cruising is the easiest way for many people to travel. It is great for people with disabilities. Most ships welcome guests and are good at assisting those guests who need help. If there are too many restrictions, cruises will lose many of their clients.  Do you propose excluding 70+, people with disabilities, people who weigh more than some set amount? I hope not. If those restrictions happen, I will not cruise. I will travel. With all the travel options, cruises with restrictions will suffer. After the pandemic, cruises will not be the same.