SS Future Re-Open Plan: Timing, Testing Needs??!!

[TLCOhio]

On 8/10/2021 at 10:13 AM, Lois R said:

Terry, you probably read my Moon review.  Honestly, I guess I just got used to it and my cruise experience was still wonderful😃   We were asked to mask up while inside public spaces on that sailing too.  I know there are folks who won't sail while that policy is in place and of course that is their choice. To me, the pros of sailing again outweigh the cons. (I was still able to interact with others).

 

Appreciate Lois' great comments and follow-up.  Various folks have a variety of standards and requirements.  For some, inside masking up is fine?  Or, too much?  Personal taste and preferences!! 

 

From the Wall Street Journal this past week, they had this headline: “Southwest Airlines Says Delta Variant Is Hurting Its Business"  with this sub-headline: "Carrier sees bookings slow and cancellations rise in August as Covid-19 surge continues.”

 

Here are some of their story highlights: “The airline said Wednesday that while demand for the key Labor Day weekend remained healthy, the recent slowdown would make it difficult to turn a profit in the third quarter, excluding the impact of government payroll assistance. That is even after a fare sale designed to stoke the return of business traffic in the fall.  Southwest’s move reverses airline executives’ bullish tone just a few weeks ago, with rising Delta-variant infections prompting the cancellation of festivals and trade events such as the New York Auto Show planned for later this month.   Some consumers are reconsidering activities like travel and eating at restaurants as the surge leads certain retailers and municipalities to reimpose mask mandates.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/southwest-airlines-starting-to-feel-pinch-from-delta-variant-11628683588?mod=hp_lead_pos4

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit.  Now at 31,896 views.  Many interesting pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

[TLCOhio]

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Ft. Lauderdale and MSN News this morning, they had this headline: “27 cruise ships have reported COVID-19 infections. Why can’t we find out how many?” with these highlights:  "Good luck if you’d like to know how many people infected with COVID-19 are coming into South Florida seaports aboard cruise ships. Cruise lines and government agencies are not making that data publicly available as the cruise industry resumes operations from U.S.-based ports. Critics who want to see more transparency say cruise consumers and community members deserve to know how successful cruise lines are at preventing spread of the virus. Twenty-seven ships that currently operate or will be operating in U.S. waters have reported COVID-19 infections to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since cruising resumed this summer, according to the CDC’s website on Saturday. Of the 27 ships, 14 are sailing with passengers.”

 

Here is more from their reporting: "Most of the infected crew members work closely with passengers in the ship’s restaurants and casinos as well as its housekeeping, entertainment and beverage departments, according to information that Miami-based maritime attorney Jim Walker said he received from a trusted source.   Carnival Cruise Line, headquartered in Miami, would say only that it had 'a small number' of cases onboard.   On Friday, a Carnival spokesman responded to the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s request for infection counts from each of Carnival’s voyages this summer by stating 'we are not reporting specific numbers.'  Even among vaccinated people, the delta variant spreads easily and is more contagious than earlier variants. And a growing percentage of vaccinated people who test positive are reporting symptoms, though not as severe as infected people who are unvaccinated.   Yet, many consumers, even avid cruisers, remain nervous about boarding a cruise ship. For them, it’s difficult to forget the global crisis that unfolded in early 2020."

 

Full story at:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/27-cruise-ships-have-reported-covid-19-infections-why-can-e2-80-99t-we-find-out-how-many/ar-AANlfor?ocid=BingNewsSearch

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal.  Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 30,738 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

[Lois R]

Hi Terry, I had no clue about all of this......with everything else in the news I guess I missed it. I do think the amount of cases should be reported.....I guess the cruise lines are trying to hide things.........I was going to ask, what are they hiding by not reporting?......less customers?

[Lois R]

Terry, did you see 60 Minutes tonight? It was a story from the beginning of the virus......about a Costa ship.  I didn't remember this one..........(I know all about the Princess ships) but this one? I don't recall it at all........all the folks got put on a plane from Rome to Atlanta..........it was a mess☹️....everyone was sick but when they got to Hartsfield almost all of the folks were told it was ok to leave...so most everyone went on their merry way.......well, of course a few died after that....others got sicker........

This was back in March 2020..........just a sad, sad story of how mishandled it was...........

[QueSeraSera]

2 minutes ago, Lois R said:

just a sad, sad story of how mishandled it was

missed this, thanks for posting

[Stumblefoot]

4 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Terry, did you see 60 Minutes tonight? It was a story from the beginning of the virus......about a Costa ship

That was a repeat.  The story first aired in October of 2020.

[Lois R]

5 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

That was a repeat.  The story first aired in October of 2020.

Oh....I must have missed it the first time. 

[TLCOhio]

19 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Terry, did you see 60 Minutes tonight? It was a story from the beginning of the virus......about a Costa ship.

 

YES!  Saw this 60 Minutes segment last fall, plus tonight, also.  Sad story.  Clearly the CDC, with the flight arriving in the nearby Atlanta airport, did not do the best job in managing this original, tragic situation.  BUT, we have learned much from those early 2020 mistakes.  There is, however, much more to learn and know.  It's a challenging, bad, on-going situation.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy.  Terry

[CruiserFromMaine]

15 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Ft. Lauderdale and MSN News this morning, they had this headline: “27 cruise ships have reported COVID-19 infections. Why can’t we find out how many?” with these highlights:  "Good luck if you’d like to know how many people infected with COVID-19 are coming into South Florida seaports aboard cruise ships. Cruise lines and government agencies are not making that data publicly available as the cruise industry resumes operations from U.S.-based ports. Critics who want to see more transparency say cruise consumers and community members deserve to know how successful cruise lines are at preventing spread of the virus. Twenty-seven ships that currently operate or will be operating in U.S. waters have reported COVID-19 infections to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since cruising resumed this summer, according to the CDC’s website on Saturday. Of the 27 ships, 14 are sailing with passengers.”

‘While there is a case to be made for reporting the number of covid cases on board, there is this information from the CDC for ships sailing from US ports. You can read the details but for revenue sailings, covid cases equal to or more than 0.10% of passengers will move a ship out of ‘green’ status. For any ship with less than 1,000 passengers, 1 passenger case will mean a move to at least orange. And any cases among the crew will mean a move to ‘yellow’ which is a worse status than orange.  
 

The US CDC has no jurisdiction over Iceland or Mediterranean only cruises, for example, so those ships aren’t listed. Maybe the EU has something similar but I haven’t heard of it. 
 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

[TLCOhio]

10 minutes ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

The US CDC has no jurisdiction over Iceland or Mediterranean only cruises, for example, so those ships aren’t listed. Maybe the EU has something similar but I haven’t heard of it. 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

 

Appreciate ALL of these various great comments, sharing and follow-ups.  Very interesting and helpful. Keep it coming!!

 

From NBC News and the Today show this morning, they had this headline: “27 vaccinated people on Carnival cruise ship test positive for COVID-19” with these highlights: “A Carnival cruise ship that departed from Texas is now dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, with more than two dozen people, most of them staff members, testing positive. Some passengers learned about the cases by checking social media. NBC’s Kerry Sanders reports for TODAY from Miami.”

 

When I heard this story this am, they indicated that 26 of the 27 cases involved vaccinated staff members.  How do those facts inspire confidence that this situation is "under control" and being well-managed??  Not trying to be an alarmist or too negative.  Just realistic and honestly being curious.  What am I missing and/or needing to know now?

 

Any second thoughts by Lois as to your soon-to-be sailing from Seattle on the Silver Muse?

 

Full story and video at:

https://www.today.com/video/27-vaccinated-people-on-carnival-cruise-ship-test-positive-for-covid-19-118771269630

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 19,971 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

 

Here is the visual from the website of NBC News' Today show this morning.  The stark news of "27 Covid Cases" is a bit jarring and somewhat shocking.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see this visual larger/better!)

[CruiserFromMaine]

45 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

When I heard this story this am, they indicated that 26 of the 27 cases involved vaccinated staff members.  

I’ve seen this reported as well. What I haven’t seen is what vaccine they received. If it’s not Pfizer, Moderna, J&J or AZ, that would be very interesting to know. What will probably not be in the headlines is that the cruise continued on and other than the 27 cases passengers were unaffected. It was essentially reported that way but the headline was clickbait. 
 

I’m not downplaying covid but expecting covid free cruising around the world right now isn’t realistic, any more than noro free cruising for everyone was before. That’s why covid is getting such attention around detection and mitigation. Especially after the obvious disasters last year before we knew much of anything around this. 

[kimanjo]

This is how I'm viewing this...

 

I'm vaxxed.  I wear a mask in public.  I think of the virus as pollen.  It's going to get in my nose at some point in time.  How my vaxxed body deals with it is the positive part of the vaccines.

 

I am on a scheduled  SS  South America this November.  I DO NOT want to test positive ( having the virus in my nose, but being perfectly fine).  I will do everything in my power to not get it up there.  I will still  wear a mask the full 2 weeks before departure.  Will wear a mask as soon as I get to the airport.  No eating around other people at all.  If I bring on the plane, I will use a straw. I will wear the mask in public in Santiago. 

 

I am not afraid of getting sick, I am afraid of not being allowed to board because I have some in my nose.  

I think there are a LOT of people in this Delta time who probably have virus in their noses.  They just don't know it. And actually the more vaxxed people who do have it, but with very low levels of sickness or death, says a lot about how well the vaccines are working.

 

[Lois R]

Hi Terry, no 2nd thoughts for me.  I am finishing up my packing and tomorrow I have a Dentist appt and will run a couple of last minute errands. My flight leaves here Wednesday morning at 8:45.......ready to go😃

 

[cece50]

11 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Terry, no 2nd thoughts for me.  I am finishing up my packing and tomorrow I have a Dentist appt and will run a couple of last minute errands. My flight leaves here Wednesday morning at 8:45.......ready to go😃

 

Have a wonderful cruise Lois.  I wouldn’t be having second thoughts either since you are basically staying within US jurisdiction.  Alaska is a great choice for a cruise right now for so many reasons. Traveling concerns for me are leaving the US & then having complications returning home.  I am hearing many unpleasant stories of people having to quarantine away from the US.  Breaks my heart to feel uncomfortable enough to not travel abroad.  We have plans for Italy next summer, I hope we are all in a better place by then.  Stay well. Loved the Muse, we sailed her for two weeks Dec 2019.  

[Living Well]

On 5/2/2020 at 5:36 PM, spinnaker2 said:

The so called immunity passport is being touted by some countries and some airlines. I know Greece is contemplating allowing some tourists to cross their borders with the IP.

It seems pretty controversial at the moment as there isn't enough information know if a person who has antibodies to Covid19 is protected against reinfection because of immunity.

 

I think other countries are also considering the IP.

 

 

I would be willing to take a cruise that is only sea days. That would eliminate the issue of possible contamination from an excursion.

Of course the ship would have to leave from and return to the same port. One would still need to screen pax for the virus. 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate the continued great sharing, comments and follow-ups.   Keep it coming!!  YES, it seems that our "Crystal Balls" are all just a little cloudy and foggy right now.  Correct??  There is a positive cruising future ahead, but we do not know, yet, the precise timing and details.  

 

From the Wall Street Journal Friday morning, they had this headline: “The Cruise Trips Most in Demand Don’t Embark Until 2022 and Beyond" with this sub-headline: "As they track Covid-19, many fans of sailings on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and other lines are booking far in advance to hedge their bets.”

 

Here are some of their story highlights: “Lovers of cruise ships are fired up to head back out to sea. How quickly they embark is another question. While some die-hards have jumped at boarding the first ship to leave the harbor this summer, many other cruisers, as they call themselves, are cautiously watching new guidelines and checking for altered itineraries and reports of Covid-19 cases. As a result, cruise lines and travel agents are already seeing crowds gathering to reserve space for voyages in 2022 and beyond. Many cruise lines say they expect 2022 to be a strong year. As of early August, Viking Cruises’ bookings for 2022 were 42% ahead of where they were at the same point in 2019. Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line have also said demand for 2022 is strong when compared with 2019, even considering higher prices. The strong demand extends past next year. Christine Hardenberger, owner of Modern Travel Professionals, based in Fredericksburg, Va., says her clients want cruise vacations and are willing to book. But some are hesitant to travel in the short term because they have questions about changing protocols. She typically sees an even mix of short-term bookings, for trips that take place within three months, and longer-term bookings. Lately she is seeing far fewer last-minute bookings.”  

 

 

Here is more from this excellent analysis and summary: "Some travel agents say those hoping to embark in the next few months can find good deals from cruise lines. 'They’re making it really affordable for people to just jump on and travel,' says Jasmin Samlal, a travel agent based in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area. The Cruise Lines International Association says it projects that about 56% of oceangoing ship capacity will have resumed sailing by the end of September.  With the rise of the Covid-19 Delta variant, cruise lines have instituted additional policies, with many requiring even fully vaccinated passengers to submit a negative coronavirus test within three days of departure and wear masks in certain indoor spaces. Viking is requiring frequent PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, tests throughout every itinerary. Cruise lines are still operating under restricted capacity.  The additional policies have led some cruise-goers to postpone their trips. Tony D’Aiuto, an airport-operations-center training manager who lives in Central Florida, planned to go on a Disney cruise with his wife and 2-year-old daughter in September. Mr. D’Aiuto says he is pro-mask and pro-vaccine, but after Disney said all passengers 2 and older needed to wear masks indoors, he began to have doubts about the trip."

 

Full story at:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cruise-ships-2022-covid-delta-carnival-11629403417

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc.  Many visuals and details from our first in these scenic areas!  Live/blog: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/

[MHF]

Thanks for keeping us updated!  I wonder what the impact on bookings or cancellations will be based on the latest CDC recommendation that some people avoid cruises altogether.  I am not sure what a CDC recommendation does to insurance availability.

[TLCOhio]

23 minutes ago, MHF said:

Thanks for keeping us updated!  I wonder what the impact on bookings or cancellations will be based on the latest CDC recommendation that some people avoid cruises altogether.  I am not sure what a CDC recommendation does to insurance availability.

 

Great that your very good follow-ups mentioned that recent CDC update involving those older and/or with more serious health challenges.  Also, excellent question about how travel insurance might be affected by these latest warnings from the CDC.  Also saw the Turkey is now on a lits of prohibited location from having cruise ship do visits.  .  

 

From the Orlando Sentinel and MSN News yesterday, they had this headline: “CDC issues warning to not cruise to those at high-risk whether vaccinated or not” with these highlights: “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated is guidance Friday to warn those at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 to avoid cruise ships, whether they’ve had the vaccine or not.  'Severe illness means that a person with COVID-19 may need: hospitalization, intensive care, a ventilator to help them breathe or they may even die,' according to the CDC.  The updated guidance specifically warns those at high risk including older adults, people with certain medical conditions and people who are pregnant or recently pregnant.  The CDC’s update comes during the recent wave of the delta variant of COVID-19, which can prove deadly to even vaccinated people with underlying conditions.  Several cruise lines have increased safety policies including more mask wearing and pre-cruise COVID-19 testing as the delta variant has taken hold.  Despite the COVID-19 health protocols in place on board ships now up and running with the CDC’s approval, there have been several sailings in which passengers tested positive. Most cases were limited to just a few passengers, and in several cases involved unvaccinated children, who then also infected their vaccinated parents.”

 

From Yahoo News earlier this past week, they had this headline: “U.S. Adds 4 New Countries to Highest COVID Travel Warning Level” with these highlights: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the State Department lowered their COVID-19 travel warnings for India and raised them for several other countries this week.  As the federal government continues to assess the risk of the virus' transmission around the world, the CDC and State Department each lowered their travel advisory for India to a 'Level 2,' indicating a 'moderate" level of COVID-19 transmission and warning Americans to "'xercise increased caution' when traveling there.  In addition to India, the CDC raised its travel warning to the highest level for four destinations: Montenegro, Turkey, Dominica, and the British island of Jersey.”

 

Full stories at:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/cdc-issues-warning-to-not-cruise-to-those-at-high-risk-whether-vaccinated-or-not/ar-AANAb85?ocid=BingNewsSearch

 

https://news.yahoo.com/u-adds-4-countries-highest-150803525.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 253,717 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[brimary]

Thanks for the frequent updates which are most helpful.The CDC advice for the older brigade of which we are long standing members! Is not encouraging for us continuing our annual 24 year relationship with Silversea.The only good news is Thankfully we are not pregnant!We are very cautious and cannot pluck up the courage to make a future booking with so many restrictions on board and most importantly cannot contemplate putting large sums of money up front for a 6 week annual SS Cruise in case the worst happens to the company and we see neither our cruise or our money again . Hope it all changes soon for all who enjoy the SS experience on a regular basis.

[TLCOhio]

On 8/23/2021 at 6:50 AM, brimary said:

Thanks for the frequent updates which are most helpful.  The CDC advice for the older brigade of which we are long standing members! Is not encouraging for us continuing our annual 24 year relationship with Silversea. The only good news is Thankfully we are not pregnant!  We are very cautious and cannot pluck up the courage to make a future booking with so many restrictions on board and most importantly cannot contemplate putting large sums of money up front

 

Appreciate this excellent follow-up and the wise comments from our UK friend.  YES, agree that I feel safer as I will not be getting pregnant.  Long past that potential situation!!??

 

From CNN Cable News and the Mercury newspaper this morning, they had this headline: “CDC adds 6 destinations to ‘very high’ Covid-19 travel risk list, including these islands” with these highlights: “The Bahamas and Morocco are now among the highest-risk destinations for travelers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s regularly revised travel advisories list.   People should avoid traveling to locations designated with the 'Level 4: Covid-19 Very High' notice, the CDC recommends. Anyone who must travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises.   Six destinations moved to the Level 4 list on August 23: Bahamas, Haiti, Kosovo, Lebanon, Morocco, Sint Maarten. Destinations that fall into the 'Covid-19 Very High' Level 4 category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to CDC criteria. The Bahamian prime minister implemented a pandemic curfew on Saturday, August 21, in place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. in mainland Exuma, Abaco and the Abaco Cays, and North, Central and South Andros.”

 

Also in another story, it was shared: "Following a surge in cases in Oahu, Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, has asked visitors to stay away. 'It’s not a good time to travel to the islands,' he said in a news conference on Monday. 'The visitors who choose to come to the island will not have the typical kind of holiday that they expect to get when they visit Hawaii.'  Restrictions will go into place from Wednesday, 25 August when 'we will be suspending all large gatherings for four weeks. This includes trade shows, conventions, concerts and other live events,' explained Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.  There are currently 80 destinations on the CDC’s Level 4 category list of the highest risk countries, which have at least 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days."

 

Hard to image as to how any of this "news" is "good" for the cruise lines and those who seek to resume traveling.  Am I missing something?

 

Full stories at:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/24/cdc-adds-6-destinations-to-very-high-covid-19-travel-risk-list-including-the-bahamas/

https://news.yahoo.com/cdc-no-travel-list-latest-135629577.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 242,521 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[A Tucson Guy]

Damn- maybe the sky really is falling!!

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Am I missing something?

Yes, the fact that these travel warnings have absolutely zero impact on Americans.  

 

IMHO, these CDC Level 4 recommendations are worthless as they contain no legal requirements or consequences.  It's a classic case of the the pot calling the kettle black when one considers the continued spread of Covid in our country and yet we all move about as freely as we want.  So, until these CDC "Notices" have a material impact on Americans ability to travel, then they carry no weight. 

 

[jpalbny]

Stumbles, agree. The CDC is "overly cautious" (being generous here) and always has been so you have to take what they say with a large grain of salt (or a large glass of wine, your choice). Their threshold for unacceptable risk is quite low. Unless someone locks the door we plan to brave the dangers of foreign travel and go to France in a few weeks.

Edited August 24, 2021 by jpalbny

[TLCOhio]

On 8/24/2021 at 7:33 PM, jpalbny said:

Stumbles, agree. The CDC is "overly cautious" (being generous here) and always has been so you have to take what they say with a large grain of salt. Their threshold for unacceptable risk is quite low. Unless someone locks the door we plan to brave the dangers of foreign travel and go to France in a few weeks.

 

Super great comments and follow-up from our savvy medical expert, J.P.  Glad to hear you are considering a trip soon to France!!  Where in France are you and Chris planning to explore?   Have done much all over that great nation with wonderful history, culture, food, wine, sights, etc. 

 

Also good and interesting comments from Stumblefoot and A Tucson Guy.  Keep it coming'!!  Excellent sharing.  

 

From CNBC cable news and MSN this morning, they had this headline: “Are cruises safe right now? Experts say they're 'a recipe for Covid transmission' ” with these highlights: “Last month, a 77-year-old woman made a fatal decision: She boarded a Carnival cruise in Galveston, Texas, set for sunny Belize.  The cruise required vaccination, and approximately 96% of all 4,336 passengers and crew were reportedly vaccinated, but nobody was required to present a negative Covid test before boarding. After four days on the water, the ship reported a 27-person Covid outbreak spanning both passengers and crew. One of the passengers, the 77-year-old, died 10 days later ⁠— the first such reported death since cruises restarted in the United States in June.  The tragic incident begs the question: Is traveling on a cruise safe right now?"  

 

Here is added information/background from their reporting: "Carnival says yes. In recent weeks, the company has mandated pre-boarding negative Covid tests for all passengers and released a statement to the Washington Post saying that the woman who died 'almost certainly did not contract COVID on our ship.'  Notably, when she boarded the ship on July 31, testing procedures were not in place.  Medical experts are unconvinced. Travel of any kind is currently a very high-risk activity, explains Dr. Luis Ostrosky, division chief for infectious diseases at UT Health, part of the University of Texas, Houston. Cases are 'completely out of control,' he says. 'And we don't have the level of vaccination we need to assure that people are going to survive if they happen to get [Covid].'  And even with safety measures in place, cruises come with residual risks that can't be ignored, like unavoidable close quarters and potential for breakthrough infections.  Even on a good day outside of the pandemic, cruises are challenging environments from an infection-control standpoint, Ostrosky says.  Cruises are even particularly risky when compared to other types of travel, like driving or flying, because they present more opportunities for prolonged exposure. 'Frankly, the risk on a two-hour flight where everyone is masked and airflow is good is [lower] than being on a cruise ship for five days straight,' says Dr. Preeti Malani, chief health officer at the University of Michigan.   While being fully vaccinated significantly reduces your risk of hospitalization or death from Covid, Ostrosky notes, the delta variant's increased transmissibility means vaccination 'no longer guarantees that you're not going to acquire the infection, or be able to transmit it.'  Another factor to keep in mind: The level of community spread in the place where you live — or, in this case, where a cruise is departing from — significantly affects your risk level.  If you don't quarantine for two weeks before your pre-boarding Covid test, the test is 'basically irrelevant,' Ostrosky says.   To make cruises genuinely safe, he says, companies would need to require mandatory two-week quarantines for each passenger and crew member, negative Covid tests 24 to 48 hours before boarding and another negative Covid test immediately after boarding. That's an onerous process, and difficult to organize and pull off, especially in the middle of a passenger's vacation.”

 

Many excellent questions and points raised in this highly-detailed summary.  What raises the best questions in your minds? 

 

Full story at:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/are-cruises-safe-right-now-experts-say-theyre-a-recipe-for-covid-transmission/ar-AANQiym?ocid=BingNewsSearch

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 233,894 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

[jpalbny]

Terry, we are flying to Nice (directly from JFK) and boarding a small Ponant ship for a 7-day circumnavigation of Corsica. We figured that it would be quieter there and hopefully less crowded. Plus it is supposed to be beautiful there and we have oy been there for a few hours.