Idea for Covid19 Testing Prior to Cruise Embarkation

[Searanger]

I will just throw this one out there.  Can the cruise lines not test passengers prior to embarkation on their ships.  This then solves all the problems with social distancing, masks, half full ships etc..   Of coarse the question is?  How the heck are they going to do that on embarkation day?  Simple.....move up the embarkation day by 24hrs.  You don't start your cruise holiday at the pier, you start it at a pre-selected hotel(s) the day before your cruise.  I'm going to assume that there are private labs out there that could process these tests within 24hrs?  Therefore, when everyone does join the ship they have all tested negative.  Now there's lots of logistics involved here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess any major hotel chain would be more then happy to book their entire property out to Royal Caribbean at a discounted rate.  Let's face it, hotels are in the same boat as cruise lines. They have zero business coming in the door in the foreseeable future.  Here's the caveat:  You check in for your cruise at your assigned hotel 24hrs prior to sailing.  Someone shoves a swab down your throat and has you proceed to the front desk for your room assignment.  Here's the sticky part.  You can't leave your hotel room until cleared and you get on a bus the following day for your trip to the port.  So if your fare just increased by $100. per person, would you book a cruise knowing that you are getting on a virus free ship.  This could also be reversed where you are swabbed prior to entering the ship at your last port.  These swabs are then flown to the city where the lab(s) are located and tests processed prior to the ship arriving for it's turn around, if the county of entry has concerns.

 

I would think this could work and satisfy local governments and the CDC.   

Edited June 20, 2020 by Searanger

[mek]

19 minutes ago, Searanger said:

I will just throw this one out there.  Can the cruise lines not test passengers prior to embarkation on their ships.  This then solves all the problems with social distancing, masks, half full ships etc..   Of coarse the question is?  How the heck are they going to do that on embarkation day?  Simple.....move up the embarkation day by 24hrs.  You don't start your cruise holiday at the pier, you start it at a pre-selected hotel(s) the day before your cruise.  I'm going to assume that there are private labs out there that could process these tests within 24hrs?  Therefore, when everyone does join the ship they have all tested negative.  Now there's lots of logistics involved here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess any major hotel chain would be more then happy to book their entire property out to Royal Caribbean at a discounted rate.  Let's face it, hotels are in the same boat as cruise lines. They have zero business coming in the door in the foreseeable future.  Here's the caveat:  You check in for your cruise at your assigned hotel 24hrs prior to sailing.  Someone shoves a swab down your throat and has you proceed to the front desk for your room assignment.  Here's the sticky part.  You can't leave your hotel room until cleared and you get on a bus the following day for your trip to the port.  So if your fare just increased by $100. per person, would you book a cruise knowing that you are getting on a virus free ship.  This could also be reversed where you are swabbed prior to entering the ship at your last port.  These swabs are then flown to the city where the lab(s) are located and tests processed prior to the ship arriving for it's turn around, if the county of entry has concerns.

 

I would think this could work and satisfy local governments and the CDC.   

A negative test result can mean you are tested too early.  A person can test negative and still be infected and pass the virus onto others.  

Edited June 20, 2020 by mek

[panoramaofthepast]

Logistically - where are they going to get enough tests? We waited in line for five hours this week; the testing site closed when it reached 500. Our results will be in within 5 days. It would be a boondoggle!

 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, Searanger said:

I will just throw this one out there.  Can the cruise lines not test passengers prior to embarkation on their ships.  This then solves all the problems with social distancing, masks, half full ships etc..   Of coarse the question is?  How the heck are they going to do that on embarkation day?  Simple.....move up the embarkation day by 24hrs.  You don't start your cruise holiday at the pier, you start it at a pre-selected hotel(s) the day before your cruise.  I'm going to assume that there are private labs out there that could process these tests within 24hrs?  Therefore, when everyone does join the ship they have all tested negative.  Now there's lots of logistics involved here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess any major hotel chain would be more then happy to book their entire property out to Royal Caribbean at a discounted rate.  Let's face it, hotels are in the same boat as cruise lines. They have zero business coming in the door in the foreseeable future.  Here's the caveat:  You check in for your cruise at your assigned hotel 24hrs prior to sailing.  Someone shoves a swab down your throat and has you proceed to the front desk for your room assignment.  Here's the sticky part.  You can't leave your hotel room until cleared and you get on a bus the following day for your trip to the port.  So if your fare just increased by $100. per person, would you book a cruise knowing that you are getting on a virus free ship.  This could also be reversed where you are swabbed prior to entering the ship at your last port.  These swabs are then flown to the city where the lab(s) are located and tests processed prior to the ship arriving for it's turn around, if the county of entry has concerns.

 

I would think this could work and satisfy local governments and the CDC.   

What you don't quite understand that a test is your active shedding of the virus at an instant in time. 

 

Have you ever wondered why they ask people to self quarantine for 14 days? It's because you could get infected today. And not show any symptoms for 14 day... The virus is inside you.... Slowly multiplying day by day.... Slowly spreading throughout your body.... And finally finding a home in your mucus membranes, destroying your lungs until you start to cough.... And the virus become detectable in your nose (where they swab for a test).... 

 

So, anyone could be infected and the test 24 hours before the cruise could test clean. Then, as the virus grows inside them, 3, 4, 5 days later as they go to dinner in the MDR, they begin to shed the virus. Infecting everyone around them. 

 

Some cruise lines have talked about temperature testing people at embarkation, at every port, and before entering a large venue like the MDR or Theater.  Again, trying to detect the first instant that the virus, growing inside you, becomes detectable. And immediately locking you in your room for the rest of the cruise. 

 

Heaven forbid you get too much sun and get a sun burn which is running hot!

[JAMESCC]

I know it's gonna take a while but what does everyone think about these vaccines they say are might be ready. I mean this year is still a goner, and part of next year but maybe late spring 2021 if these vaccines work. It's gonna be a yearly thing which I don't mind. I get the flu shot yearly. I never did before but I got the flu so freaking bad last year March 2019 that I wanted to jump off a building, it kicked my butt. I will never go without a flu shot again. I didn't get the flu this year so I'm hoping it works going forward.

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[Merion_Mom]

And in every port, where you could be infected by someone on shore.......................

 

The mind boggles.

[rcrdale]

30 minutes ago, JAMESCC said:

I know it's gonna take a while but what does everyone think about these vaccines they say are might be ready. I mean this year is still a goner, and part of next year but maybe late spring 2021 if these vaccines work. It's gonna be a yearly thing which I don't mind. I get the flu shot yearly. I never did before but I got the flu so freaking bad last year March 2019 that I wanted to jump off a building, it kicked my butt. I will never go without a flu shot again. I didn't get the flu this year so I'm hoping it works going forward.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
 

Unfortunately a vaccine is not fool proof.  Many people get the regular flu vaccine and still get the flu.  

[JAMESCC]

Unfortunately a vaccine is not fool proof.  Many people get the regular flu vaccine and still get the flu.  

Well I understand that but it's better than nothing. We can't just go along through life this way forever especially if there is an effective vaccine.
There flu shot I only have 1 year to go on and I'm just glad I didn't get awful sick like I did last year. I can't say for sure that's why I didn't get the flu but I ain't taking a chance either. I can't tell you how bad I got the flu last year. It was just absolute torture.

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[bigrednole]

Process test within 24 hours,congregate a load of people together, then board a ship while all of those that tested positive have already mingled and contaminated others. 

 

I get what you are trying to say. Unless there is an instant test, there is no way to filter for it. The only way for anything to happen is quarantine and isolation which is not going to happen. Those that are most susceptible and in the higher risk factors need to avoid people. The rest of us need to learn to live with it. 

[time4u2go]

Would you suggest doing the same thing at every port? If not, then what's the point?

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, rcrdale said:

Unfortunately a vaccine is not fool proof.  Many people get the regular flu vaccine and still get the flu.  

I got my flu vaccine last fall, and still got both strains of the flu that was going around our office early this year. 

[mek]

4 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I got my flu vaccine last fall, and still got both strains of the flu that was going around our office early this year. 

But generally, and I stress generally, if a person does come down with the flu it is much milder than w/o the shot.

[TwoMisfits]

16 minutes ago, mek said:

But generally, and I stress generally, if a person does come down with the flu it is much milder than w/o the shot.

 

But even then, that doesn't always hold for the elderly and immuno-compromised, who almost universally get the flu shot (especially those in LTC and senior living), and still succumb to the illness in large numbers every year...

[ONECRUISER]

8 hours ago, JAMESCC said:

I know it's gonna take a while but what does everyone think about these vaccines they say are might be ready. I mean this year is still a goner, and part of next year but maybe late spring 2021 if these vaccines work. It's gonna be a yearly thing which I don't mind. I get the flu shot yearly. I never did before but I got the flu so freaking bad last year March 2019 that I wanted to jump off a building, it kicked my butt. I will never go without a flu shot again. I didn't get the flu this year so I'm hoping it works going forward.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
 

And yet Vaccine wont be 100%, Flu shot isnt and we always get ours. Kids still got it and were one the first ones tested for CV along with the Flu. Were positive for Influenza. No shot is 100%, like testing and distancing just a part of the fight... Don't think 100% Testing ever be part of Cruising, though ships will have Tests onboard in case. But if CV still serious issue ships wont sail yet...

[eel]

There are some interesting, out of the box ways to screen for COVID-19 that are quicker than conventional tests.  There is a COVID-19 breathalyzer under development that gives results in 20 seconds that is supposedly 95% accurate.  Dogs have been trained  to detect COVID-19 in humans by smell. Some dogs are 100% accurate and they even were able to detect the virus in people that were pre-symptomatic. Showing proof of a positive antibody test may become useful if they ever get the accuracy of those tests under control. They could use methods like these in conjunction with traditional PCR testing for those that fail the screening. 

 

Nothing will be 100% fool-proof.  It will be a combination of things including changes to ventilation systems, temperature checks, implementing some level of social distancing where practical and enhanced cleaning that will allow cruising to come back.  And hopefully, deploying an effective vaccine sooner rather than later.

Edited June 20, 2020 by eel

[bermudadude54]

In a perfect world . . . unfortunately we are not in one.

[rtazz17]

14 hours ago, rcrdale said:

Unfortunately a vaccine is not fool proof.  Many people get the regular flu vaccine and still get the flu.  

Yup and people die from flu. People will die from covid even after a vaccine. But thats life and risk. I wont get vaccine and many others wont either. Same thing for flu. Ive never once gotten flu vaccine or the flu. The viral load may lesson,it may fade,etc... many unknowns could happen that could change things radically. 

Edited June 21, 2020 by rtazz17

[Milwaukee Eight]

23 hours ago, Searanger said:

Can the cruise lines not test passengers prior to embarkation on their ships.  This then solves all the problems with social distancing, masks, half full ships etc.

Let me share with you an example why this would not work. My son is a ICU Nurse. They are “quick” testing all patients prior to surgery and only those negative may have surgery. One patient who tested negative and had surgery, became ill after surgery with COVID19. Now three other nurses who treated this patient in his unit are now positive. 
 

M8

[Spurschick]

There is another thread that talks about a breathalyzer style test. There are other reports of dogs being trained to sniff out infected people.

 

Some countries that are allowing tourists are requiring a negative test from within 10 days of travel.

 

Given 10 days is a long time frame they may ask for test results and do breathalyzer at port. Not saying that’s what they will do but saying there are several options available.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Spurschick

[chipmaster]

3 minutes ago, Spurschick said:

There is another thread that talks about a breathalyzer style test. There are other reports of dogs being trained to sniff out infected people.

 

Some countries that are allowing tourists are requiring a negative test from within 10 days of travel.

 

Given 10 days is a long time frame they may ask for test results and do breathalyzer at port. Not saying that’s what they will do but saying there are several options available.

 

Someone infected can easily be asymptomatic for days and even a week!!! Thus as others noted you can travel, get a viral load so big from a rally person from Tulsa and pass every test and then 8 days later get sick, or never get symptoms as your immune system and genetics makes you a COVID superpersons but give it to people in the elevator, hallway, buffet line, theater, dining room, and we got a super spreader event.

 

In places like Taiwan you are quarantined for 14 days!  

[Spurschick]

10 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

 

Someone infected can easily be asymptomatic for days and even a week!!! Thus as others noted you can travel, get a viral load so big from a rally person from Tulsa and pass every test and then 8 days later get sick, or never get symptoms as your immune system and genetics makes you a COVID superpersons but give it to people in the elevator, hallway, buffet line, theater, dining room, and we got a super spreader event.

 

In places like Taiwan you are quarantined for 14 days!  

I’m not disagreeing. Although you can test positive if asymptomatic.

 

the thread is about testing options. I am just stating that they could require a test be performed prior to arrival, which may cut down on asymptomatic people arriving at the port in the first place that didn’t know they were infected, and then supplement test at the port with the breathalyzer test at the port and possibly have sniffer dogs too.

 

there is no 100% guarantee someone won’t slip through the system.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Spurschick

[livingonthebeach]

To add to the quandary, there are false positives and false negatives. All it takes is one false negative to infect many people in close quarters. Testing would have to be backed up with a vaccine, strong anti-viral treatments as well as social distancing, masks, sanitizers, etc.  Don't believe cruising will ever be like we knew it. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Are there any hotels that have enough capacity to hold everyone from a ship?  And what do you do for food?  Room service for everyone (at the increased rate)?  

 

Add those questions to the:

* A single negative just tells you the status at a point in time.  It may be positive the next day (incubation period).

* A vaccine, *IF* developed, may not be 100% effective.

* You will not get 100% of the people to take the vaccine, even *IF* it is developed.

[Ocean Boy]

Port Everglade, during high season, can easily have 50,000 people departing on a weekend and another 50,000 people arriving. I think a staggering number like that makes the OP's plan pretty moot.

[bobmacliberty]

All of the testing processes mentioned here are just screening tests.  For the many reasons listed, they are not perfect and will not completely prevent Covid positive people from boarding.  They would just screen out the positives that they catch...reducing, not eliminating risk.  People like to focus on why testing won't work but some screening is better than no screening, and highly effective screening is better than less effective screening.  Just like there is no guarantee that wearing a facial covering won't prevent you from becoming infected or infecting someone else.  The risk is reduced though from wearing a mask.

 

Cruise lines will still need a process onboard to test, isolate, track and trace, and even deal with those who become more seriously ill and require hospital level attention.  They have processes in place today for other types of illness/injury.  The question is what changes are needed to specifically address Covid-19.