Covid infected crew on ship in Norway that had passengers

[twins_to_alaska]

Is this in another thread?

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2020/07/articles/disease/covid-19-crew-member-infections-confirmed-on-hurtigruten-cruise-ship/

Edited July 31, 2020 by twins_to_alaska

[John&LaLa]

ouch

[NuisanceLuke]

☹️  Well, that didn't take long to happen.  ☹️

 

Not very encouraging for the near (and maybe far) future.

 

Here's another link to the same info.

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/hurtigruten-crew-members-test-positive-for-covid-19-on-a-norway-cruise

[Mapleleafforever]

"It permiited all of its passengers to do ashore, apparently without notifying anyone that its crew members were infected with COVID-19."

 

WOW

[Coralc]

That is kind of alarming. This virus is like a super-spreader. 

[NuisanceLuke]

4 minutes ago, Mapleleafforever said:

"It permiited all of its passengers to do ashore, apparently without notifying anyone that its crew members were infected with COVID-19."

 

WOW

 

I can think of another word or two. . .if that's true, there is no excuse for that.

[TravelerThom]

10 minutes ago, NuisanceLuke said:

I can think of another word or two. . .if that's true, there is no excuse for that.

Well according to the article YOU provided a link to (you did read it, right?):

“There was no reason to suspect COVID-19 when the ship docked in Tromsø based on the symptoms the four of the crew had,” said Hurtigruten communications manager Rune Thomas Ege in a prepared statement the company issued.

[jakob71]

1 hour ago, twins_to_alaska said:

Is this in another thread?

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2020/07/articles/disease/covid-19-crew-member-infections-confirmed-on-hurtigruten-cruise-ship/

 

Information about four crew members tested positiv for COVID-19 on Hurtigruten's expedition ship, Roald Amundsen, is also posted today on the Hurtigruten Forum: "Covid-19 Confirmed on Hurtigruten vessel".

[NuisanceLuke]

10 minutes ago, TravelerThom said:

Well according to the article YOU provided a link to (you did read it, right?):

“There was no reason to suspect COVID-19 when the ship docked in Tromsø based on the symptoms the four of the crew had,” said Hurtigruten communications manager Rune Thomas Ege in a prepared statement the company issued.

 

Yeah, I read it.  They must have suspected "something" or they would not have had them tested. They should not have let ANYONE off the ship before a confirmation of 'negative' or 'positive' for COVID was established.  I would think in the current situation they would want to be overly cautious even if it turned out to be a false alarm. 

 

"According to the company, at some point during the cruise, a number of crew members reported that they were not feeling well, and while they had no symptoms of COVID-19, under the company protocols, those crew members were immediately isolated.

When the cruise ship arrived in Tromso on July 31, the company says routine tests were administered under its protocols."

[Jimbo]

27 minutes ago, NuisanceLuke said:

 

Yeah, I read it.  They must have suspected "something" or they would not have had them tested. They should not have let ANYONE off the ship before a confirmation of 'negative' or 'positive' for COVID was established.  I would think in the current situation they would want to be overly cautious even if it turned out to be a false alarm. 

 

"According to the company, at some point during the cruise, a number of crew members reported that they were not feeling well, and while they had no symptoms of COVID-19, under the company protocols, those crew members were immediately isolated.

When the cruise ship arrived in Tromso on July 31, the company says routine tests were administered under its protocols."

Better work on those protocols, evidently it's not working!

 

Wait until the CDC sees this.........tack on another 4 to 6 months from the Spring 2021 start up

[Mapleleafforever]

The other part of this that I missed and did not know is this....."This dreadful news follows ten AIDA crew members testing positive last week."

[MADflyer]

They have tested all of the crew again now and they now have 29 additional crew members that have tested positive. That is a total of 33 now. 

 

They stated that they have followed the Norwegian and International guidelines and that crew had self quarantined in their home countries for 14 days and were tested prior to travel and then for 10 days at a hotel in Norway prior to boarding the ship. 

 

They have 60 passengers in quarantine in Tromso Norway and have spoken by phone with 89 of the passengers from the past 2 week sailings along with a text message that was sent to all passengers. They are testing the passengers with a quick test and then sending them home by tomorrow, following the regulations set out by the quarantine regulations. 

 

The situation at the Clarion Hotel where the passengers are quarantined was chaotic as it seems several passengers just showed up in the lobby to check in and that the local hotel had not received much information. The cruise line had booked about half of the 219 rooms at the hotel.  

 

The hotel had to rapidly gear up as a quarantine hotel where the passengers required all services as they are not allowed to leave the room. Then the hotel had to deal with the issue of  the regular guests that were already booked into the hotel. 

 

The crew are all quarantined onboard the ship, with those that have tested positive isolated. 

 

I guess what was most impressive is how quickly the local community health officials, regional hospital and national health department all coordinated the effort and how closely the cruise line cooperated with the requirements. 

 

https://www.vg.no/

 

 

 

 

[Bobal]

4 minutes ago, MADflyer said:

They have tested all of the crew again now and they now have 29 additional crew members that have tested positive. That is a total of 33 now. 

 

And this, I believe, is the crux of the matter when cruising restarts.

 

There is so much talk on here - particularly by those who are desparate to cruise again - about what measures could and should be taken to make it happen - masks/distancing/checks/reduced capacity/only booking out balcony cabins etc. However whatever precautions are taken for the guests there are still going to be crew sharing very small cabins and working and living in close proximity. Whatever checks and quarantines are done on crew before boarding it only takes one or two positive cases to spread very quickly.

[Mapleleafforever]

27 minutes ago, MADflyer said:

They have tested all of the crew again now and they now have 29 additional crew members that have tested positive. That is a total of 33 now. 

 

They stated that they have followed the Norwegian and International guidelines and that crew had self quarantined in their home countries for 14 days and were tested prior to travel and then for 10 days at a hotel in Norway prior to boarding the ship. 

 

They have 60 passengers in quarantine in Tromso Norway and have spoken by phone with 89 of the passengers from the past 2 week sailings along with a text message that was sent to all passengers. They are testing the passengers with a quick test and then sending them home by tomorrow, following the regulations set out by the quarantine regulations. 

 

The situation at the Clarion Hotel where the passengers are quarantined was chaotic as it seems several passengers just showed up in the lobby to check in and that the local hotel had not received much information. The cruise line had booked about half of the 219 rooms at the hotel.  

 

The hotel had to rapidly gear up as a quarantine hotel where the passengers required all services as they are not allowed to leave the room. Then the hotel had to deal with the issue of  the regular guests that were already booked into the hotel. 

 

The crew are all quarantined onboard the ship, with those that have tested positive isolated. 

 

I guess what was most impressive is how quickly the local community health officials, regional hospital and national health department all coordinated the effort and how closely the cruise line cooperated with the requirements. 

 

https://www.vg.no/

 

 

 

 

This will probably set cruising back another 6 months or so. 

[JT1962]

This does not look like a promising start to the return of cruises. If they cannot prevent this on one ship with all their procedures, how will a mainstream cruise line ever return to sailing a full schedule without a vaccine being available and required to sail?

[Billy Baltic]

I’m surprised this thread is so quiet. This is a ship with a small number of passengers (177 with a capacity of 550) and crew. Presumably they used all the current controls. The virus spread like wildfire.  
I can’t see how any large ships can resume cruising. For me, the main hope is that an existing drug will be found to be successful in treating the symptoms.

Getting a vaccine developed, tested, manufactured and administrated to billions of people will take longer than existing cruise lines have. 

[Sunshine3601]

Here we go again crew and passengers being quarantined.  The fact they let passengers go ashore while testing some crew members that were sick enough to have to go hospital is unacceptable. 

Bad business..

 

[zekekelso]

Not helpful.
See also Baseball comma Major League. 

Edited August 1, 2020 by zekekelso

[Luckynana]

This is so disheartening!  Especially so, since I'd been reading about the cruise ship that left from Germany, and all was going well on board.😢

[livingonthebeach]

36 crew and now a passenger.  Wonder if they will use the same spin another German company came up with when some of their crew tested positive.  Something to the tune of -- well that just proves our testing is working -- Lame!

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/least-36-hurtigruten-crew-and-one-passenger-have-covid-19

[bigrednole]

This pretty much solidifies the CDC survey questions. The cruise lines must develop and fund the plans for all aboard a ship if someone is diagnosed. They must have the facilities available near the port, logistics to have all passengers and crew members transported to 14-day quarantine, fund the medical staff and facilities, and shut the ship down. I don't know what a day for quarantine cost here in the US, but to fund it and have it as a medical facility, I am guessing $1,500 per day per person.

 

Bye Bye 2020, hopefully we see you for our July 24 cruise. No reason to even consider the end of March now.

[Bobal]

2 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

I’m surprised this thread is so quiet. 

I'm not surprised really. The big number posters on this board won't consider it worth a comment.  It's not sailing from the US, no suites, no superior status- really not worth their attention. 😉

 

It ought to be though, since this is unfortunately prescient of what's likely to come,  regardless of where or when a cruise sails for the foreseeable future.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Bobal

[Billy Baltic]

17 minutes ago, bigrednole said:

This pretty much solidifies the CDC survey questions. The cruise lines must develop and fund the plans for all aboard a ship if someone is diagnosed. They must have the facilities available near the port, logistics to have all passengers and crew members transported to 14-day quarantine, fund the medical staff and facilities, and shut the ship down. I don't know what a day for quarantine cost here in the US, but to fund it and have it as a medical facility, I am guessing $1,500 per day per person.

 

Bye Bye 2020, hopefully we see you for our July 24 cruise. No reason to even consider the end of March now.

IMO the facilities are worthless. Even if you could have a full hospital constantly alongside the ship, the vast majority of people aren’t going to care. It’s just too easy to have one person infected and, due to the close quarters, the virus will spread. I’d love to cruise but I’m not paying good money on the basis there is a quarantine bed available. 

[chipmaster]

 Any COVID outbreak is treated as failure and the press smells blood and this is a disaster for all lines and their credibility.

 

Seems like a US kind of feeling, desperation for return to normality causes another nail in the coffin of any cruise anytime soon. 

 

Looks like we'll need testing real time with high accuracy and vaccine before cruising, and also world wide low cases or restriction of people from places with outbreaks... I think no US or US people cruising till mid 2021 at the earliest.

 

 

[FlorenceItaly]

This pretty much seals the deal for me.  I am booked on a 14 day transatlantic in April 2021.  IF it goes, it will be without me.

I am not afraid of the COVID, but I do not want to be on a ship where there is an outbreak and the consequences of a outbreak.