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Gem Doctor Dies

pcakes122

By pcakes122,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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mugtech

mugtech

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Posted

Sorry to hear of the deaths on the Gem, sounds like the Filipino crew members are far from home, not close to getting there.  The fact that a nurse tested positive certainly adds suspicion to the report, remembering it came from the premier cruise line "lawyer".

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pcakes122

pcakes122

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It's really concerning me how NCL has been handling this pandemic overall - and I have always been a huge NCL supporter.

 

First we had the situation where the marketing/sales team was told basically to lie to customers about the seriousness of the pandemic. Next are all the issues with refunds and credits. Now we're looking at the NCL team possibly/allegedly trying to downplay or hide Covid-19 related deaths and illnesses among the crew.

 

I have posted before that I contracted Covid-19 on the NCL Bliss March 8th sailing. I did not and do not blame NCL in any way for my illness because I knew when I boarded the ship that there was a possibility I could contract the virus. However, I thought it was interesting that after NCL notified me via email that someone on the prior sailing had tested positive for Covid-19, they did not encourage me to get tested and/or report any test results back to them. They really didn't want to know, because if they did they would have had to report it to the CDC. This occurred to me after seeing news reports that NCL only had "three" reported Covid-19 cases as compared to the other cruise lines - but I knew from personal experience that number was underestimated since they were not tracking people like me who tested positive upon returning home.

 

Anyway, it seems similar to what this article is stating. If you don't test people, then you don't have to report them as positive cases. If that is what NCL is doing, it is truly sad and disappointing. 🙁

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skywonder

skywonder

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1 minute ago, pcakes122 said:

It's really concerning me how NCL has been handling this pandemic overall - and I have always been a huge NCL supporter.

 

First we had the situation where the marketing/sales team was told basically to lie to customers about the seriousness of the pandemic. Next are all the issues with refunds and credits. Now we're looking at the NCL team possibly/allegedly trying to downplay or hide Covid-19 related deaths and illnesses among the crew.

 

I have posted before that I contracted Covid-19 on the NCL Bliss March 8th sailing. I did not and do not blame NCL in any way for my illness because I knew when I boarded the ship that there was a possibility I could contract the virus. However, I thought it was interesting that after NCL notified me via email that someone on the prior sailing had tested positive for Covid-19, they did not encourage me to get tested and/or report any test results back to them. They really didn't want to know, because if they did they would have had to report it to the CDC. This occurred to me after seeing news reports that NCL only had "three" reported Covid-19 cases as compared to the other cruise lines - but I knew from personal experience that number was underestimated since they were not tracking people like me who tested positive upon returning home.

 

Anyway, it seems similar to what this article is stating. If you don't test people, then you don't have to report them as positive cases. If that is what NCL is doing, it is truly sad and disappointing. 🙁

Sadly NCL is coming off as very shady. I use to love this cruise line but over the past few years things have not changed for the better. They just keep getting worse.

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hamrag

hamrag

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

....Now we're looking at the NCL team possibly/allegedly trying to downplay or hide Covid-19 related deaths and illnesses among the crew....

 

The death of this Doctor is a tragedy for his family, and crew colleagues, so let's be absolutely clear about that....it's a fact.

 

The report by 'cruiselawnews', whose stated aim is to report 'Everything Cruise Lines Don't Want You to Know', is as you correctly state an allegation about a possibility....that is how the print media operate. That, of course, does not mean the Doctors' death was not Covid-19 related....but it is far from certain it was, and cannot be considered factual. 

 

It will, of course, suit the agenda of many posters on these threads....😉

Edited by hamrag
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ray98

ray98

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Why would NCL feed into the media hype?  It isn't like these tabloid like reporters are just waiting for info to show the industry in a good light, they are looking for the next juicy story to feed the naive who think cruise ships are some pig pen.

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david_sobe

david_sobe

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

It's really concerning me how NCL has been handling this pandemic overall - and I have always been a huge NCL supporter.

 

First we had the situation where the marketing/sales team was told basically to lie to customers about the seriousness of the pandemic. Next are all the issues with refunds and credits. Now we're looking at the NCL team possibly/allegedly trying to downplay or hide Covid-19 related deaths and illnesses among the crew.

 

I have posted before that I contracted Covid-19 on the NCL Bliss March 8th sailing. I did not and do not blame NCL in any way for my illness because I knew when I boarded the ship that there was a possibility I could contract the virus. However, I thought it was interesting that after NCL notified me via email that someone on the prior sailing had tested positive for Covid-19, they did not encourage me to get tested and/or report any test results back to them. They really didn't want to know, because if they did they would have had to report it to the CDC. This occurred to me after seeing news reports that NCL only had "three" reported Covid-19 cases as compared to the other cruise lines - but I knew from personal experience that number was underestimated since they were not tracking people like me who tested positive upon returning home.

 

Anyway, it seems similar to what this article is stating. If you don't test people, then you don't have to report them as positive cases. If that is what NCL is doing, it is truly sad and disappointing. 🙁

Its not just NCL.  Many countries especially the United States did not take it serious.  Italy was the first canary in the coal mine.  I will even admit I was wrong in the early days.  I suppose I was hoping it would fizzle out like SARS.  It was wrong for us to tell people to go enjoy your cruise when Hong Kong was going under lock down and people's flights were being cancelled.  That would have been the most foolish thing to do ever.  No amount of money would be worth being quarantined on a ship on the other side of the world.  Yes they put profits above safety.  But its easy to look back and cast blame.

What changed my mind was the Princess ship.  They had 2 cases that turned into over 500.  That is when I realized how contagious this virus is.  Even in quarantines on the ship it was spreading like wild fire.  I think many people saw this as just another virus coming from China i.e. Hong Kong flu, swine flu, Bird flu, SARS, etc.  I think we (and I include NCL) missed the mark because there seems to be this political filter about this virus which has made things so much worse. We are one world.  Too many had a platform to yell conspiracy theories and misinform the public before we knew better.  100 years from now history will not look well on how botched we handled this pandemic.  So my long story is NCL is not alone in their miscalculations.

 

So sorry to hear about this doctor.

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mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, david_sobe said:

Its not just NCL.  Many countries especially the United States did not take it serious.  Italy was the first canary in the coal mine ...100 years from now history will not look well on how botched we handled this pandemic ... NCL is not alone in their miscalculations.

So sorry to hear about this doctor.

 

This, I wholeheartedly agreed - 200%   May he RIP and his family find comfort, that NCL is going to bring him home ... he went in peace.  Our last Norwegian cruise was on the Gem last December (2019) - one of our favorite ship, especially the crew & officers, now minus one.  It is just heartbreaking.  

 

Last night, DW and I just learn one of her former co-worker's dad, in his 50's in good health, no known risk factors, etc. has been battling Covid-19 for the last 2 weeks, hospitalized here in NYC. on oxygen, unable to visit, all praying for a recovery.  It still boggles my mind with the denials that it is no worst than the seasonal influenza.  Until definitive antibody testing results are available, let's be clear - nobody is safe and has any form of immunity, including the young & children ... a red flag for families that love to cruise together.  

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8420PR

8420PR

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Posted (edited)

Rest in peace to the doctor.

 

The news reports seem to be based on rumor, so I don't want to judge NCL just yet.  However, the whole pandemic has effectively identified the minority of governments, companies and individuals that just see dead people simply as collateral damage.    

 

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pcakes122

pcakes122

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One issue is that NCL stated that the doctor had "zero" symptoms of Covid-19, however that is very hard to say because the symptoms are so varied.

 

I wasn't even going to get tested for Covid-19 until I received the email from NCL stating that I was possibly exposed. While I felt like I had "a cold", the published symptoms for coronavirus at that time were a high fever, a dry cough and shortness of breath. I had NO fever, a productive cough and (initially) no breathing issues.  I was actually shocked when my Covid-19 test came back positive. 

 

While I've been sick I've joined a Facebook group for other Covid-19 positive people, and it's been amazing to learn the wide variety of symptoms. There are more than one case of people whose ONLY symptom was a loss of smell, some ONLY had headaches, etc.  There is so much not known about this disease even now.  Heart problems and complications are common symptoms of the virus.

 

So, without an autopsy, how is NCL issuing letters to the crew stating emphatically that Dr. Guevara did not have Covid-19? I am not saying that he did have the virus, I'm just saying that I don't feel comfortable with the way NCL is handling it overall.

 

 

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SeaShark

SeaShark

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55 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

And will blame NCL for not keeping them safe should they get sick.

 

Well, of course. Everyone knows that everything is NCL's fault. 

 

I've seen countless people on ships walk right past the hand sanitizing stations, countless people on ships walk right out of the restroom like the sinks were nothing but a decoration, yet it is certainly NCL who will be responsible for their sickness.

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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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17 hours ago, mugtech said:

Same story, same lack of communication.  Bad situation when the only sources of information are the rumor mills.

What more communications would you have liked to see???? There was an official source of information. NCL went as far as publicly announcing the death and the cause of death on April 13.

 

If the doctor's body was brought onshore in the US, the local coroner's office would have to make a final determination on the cause of death. FOIA them. 

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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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22 minutes ago, cruiser4801 said:

This is so sad and was so avoidable.

 

The only people NCL cares less about than their customers is their crew members.

 

Crew members are being horribly treated by NCL and the other cruise companies.

How was it avoidable?  Please elaborate on your statement. 

 

Yes. Crew are being forced out of the very cramped crew quarters into guest rooms 2x the size of their normal rooms. Horrible. Charter flights were arranged for the crew until the United States refused to allow them to disembark at US ports to catch those flights. Now, all the cruise lines are doing their best to get their crew home. 

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