Rapid COVID-19 testing prior to boarding a possibility

[sanger727]

The only covid testing I am willing to do for a vacation is to be tested at home prior to leaving. I will not go on a vacation where I get tested mid vacation. I do think the rapid tests are less reliable and more likely to get a false positive. And then if you get a positive, whether false or not, what then? Boarding will be refused. Will I be permitted to turn around and board a plane to go home? Who is going to pay for a last minute ticket to go home? Will I be stuck quarantining in a local hotel for 2 weeks? Who is going to pay for that? Presumably, travel insurance has wised up and will exclude all things COVID. 

[JustAPilot]

23 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

The only covid testing I am willing to do for a vacation is to be tested at home prior to leaving. I will not go on a vacation where I get tested mid vacation. I do think the rapid tests are less reliable and more likely to get a false positive. And then if you get a positive, whether false or not, what then? Boarding will be refused. Will I be permitted to turn around and board a plane to go home? Who is going to pay for a last minute ticket to go home? Will I be stuck quarantining in a local hotel for 2 weeks? Who is going to pay for that? Presumably, travel insurance has wised up and will exclude all things COVID. 

No airline will let you back onboard if you've tested positive, regardless if it's false or not.

[sanger727]

2 minutes ago, JustAPilot said:

No airline will let you back onboard if you've tested positive, regardless if it's false or not.

 

I think you are correct. And I have no interest in paying to sit in a hotel room for 2 weeks because my pre-boarding test was positive.

[DCGuy64]

Things like rapid testing are probably going to be a reality for a little while, at least at the beginning. I don't see any way around it. If the cruise lines aren't able to demonstrate that it's safe to cruise again (and testing is only a small part of that), it'll be harder to entice people to come back. Personally, it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

[podgeandrodge]

4 hours ago, JustAPilot said:

No airline will let you back onboard if you've tested positive, regardless if it's false or not.

 

4 hours ago, sanger727 said:

 

I think you are correct. And I have no interest in paying to sit in a hotel room for 2 weeks because my pre-boarding test was positive.

 

5 hours ago, sanger727 said:

The only covid testing I am willing to do for a vacation is to be tested at home prior to leaving. I will not go on a vacation where I get tested mid vacation. I do think the rapid tests are less reliable and more likely to get a false positive. And then if you get a positive, whether false or not, what then? Boarding will be refused. Will I be permitted to turn around and board a plane to go home? Who is going to pay for a last minute ticket to go home? Will I be stuck quarantining in a local hotel for 2 weeks? Who is going to pay for that? Presumably, travel insurance has wised up and will exclude all things COVID. 

 

I'd say they will get plenty of people prepared to take that risk to get back on a boat.  I would!  It's a gamble, but a worth it gamble to me!

[macandlucy]

I think between their mitigation efforts and mine, there is a way to get the risk level to tolerable for me. It won’t be zero, and those of us who can live with “as close to zero as we can get” will be able to cruise in the near future I hope.
 

[sanger727]

3 hours ago, podgeandrodge said:

 

 

 

I'd say they will get plenty of people prepared to take that risk to get back on a boat.  I would!  It's a gamble, but a worth it gamble to me!

I’m glad there are people who feel that way. Will help the cruise lines stay afloat and hopefully get back up and running again. I enjoy traveling but am just fine with missing a year or two to not get caught up in the nonsense. Once they seem to have a handle on all these issues I’d be willing to book again, but not until then. The cost of a ruined vacation, 2 weeks at a hotel, changed flights, and missing extra days from work is too large a gamble for me.

[farmersfight]

14 hours ago, podgeandrodge said:

 

 

 

I'd say they will get plenty of people prepared to take that risk to get back on a boat.  I would!  It's a gamble, but a worth it gamble to me!

 

[Gershep]

I don't think a rapid COVID test is the answer. Like many said, you may test negative today and be positive tomorrow.

[Sue Do-Over]

Recognizing that symptoms typically take several days to develop, asymptomatic or newly-exposed guests would pass symptom checklists (like the noro protocols already in place) and additional temperature screenings.  Even a saliva, nasal swab or other rapid test might not detect small amounts of virus for the newly-exposed.

 

If a ship-side screening were to be enacted, it should allow time for a re-test to avoid issues of false positives, and be performed by staff with at least some medical training and appropriate sanitation protocols. That is, not wear the same pair of gloves to swab dozens or hundreds of guests.

 

Frankly, a few Advil and cough syrup could mask symptoms without an actual test -- and people already mask symptoms to keep from being denied boarding.

[PhillyTravelBug]

I’m good with a land based vacation until a vaccine comes out.

[casofilia]

I am willing to bet that all cruise lines (and many countries) will require a "covid clear" certificate/vaccine certificate will be necessary before boarding.

 

One NZ political party is putting that in their policy for the upcoming election.  Anyone wanting to come to NZ will have to have a "covid clear" certificate/vaccine certificate before being allowed on board a plane coming here.

[npcl]

4 hours ago, casofilia said:

I am willing to bet that all cruise lines (and many countries) will require a "covid clear" certificate/vaccine certificate will be necessary before boarding.

 

One NZ political party is putting that in their policy for the upcoming election.  Anyone wanting to come to NZ will have to have a "covid clear" certificate/vaccine certificate before being allowed on board a plane coming here.

As I under stand it from some of my NZ relatives the opposition party is floating going the Sweden route instead of locking down the borders until a Vaccine is developed.

[casofilia]

@npcl

 

I think that that might have been taken from the earlier requests to have the border open but since the return of the virus in Australia and lately in NZ I think that that has gone on the back burner.

 

We can't keep Kiwis from returning home so no one is certain about the "covid clear certificate" for them nor whether they can be forced to pay for their isolation.   However I think they will be mandatory for non NZ citizens who will still have to quarantine and pay for it.

 

[BirdTravels]

As for a COVID clear certificate, testing in our areas uses one of the big labs. And they tell you that results right now are unpredictable. Some come back in 2 days. Some in 10. 
 

I would have to test every day (paying out of pocket) starting a week and a half out hoping that one comes back in the window required by the cruise line. (And the more times you test,

the more chance of a false positive.).

[NikiPinkston]

We won't cruise until there's a vaccine & I think proof of having had the covid vaccination may be a requirement to board.  I know I would feel safer cruising with that requirement, because a negative covid test today means nothing tomorrow.

[Trimone]

After the news today that a man has had Covid-19 twice, a different strain, this creates a completely new ball game, it means, that for vaccine has to be a universal coronavirus.

And herd immunity goes out the window.

[PelicanBill]

Testing is still a serious limitation. In my area, there is only one testing location sponsored by the state that will test for any reason. All others require a doctor's order and screen for a "reason" - symptoms - to do a test.  And results vary from 2 to 10 days here as well.

 

[GA Dave]

The cruise lines could create a bubble for all passengers two weeks prior to the cruise.

 

NHL Testing

[oracer]

MSC just announced that they had a positive test on the second sailing prior to boarding.  No only did that person not get on the boat, but the family of that passenger AND the family that came in on the same cab as the person that tested positive.   

 

I am fully on board of the way that MSC is implementing it's plan.

[dcipjr]

12 hours ago, Trimone said:

After the news today that a man has had Covid-19 twice, a different strain, this creates a completely new ball game, it means, that for vaccine has to be a universal coronavirus.

And herd immunity goes out the window.

 

I wouldn't get too worried about the news. Some people's immune systems may be prone to reinfection—it happens with other viruses, like chicken pox. The majority of people don't get it twice, but it's not impossible to get it twice, and we should expect that some people will get it twice. 

 

The pandemic has been ongoing for months. Up until now, we haven't seen evidence of reinfection, much less widespread reinfection, so that actually bodes well. Ultimately, more data is needed, and as time goes on, we'll learn.

 

The biggest factor is a vaccine. Progress has been very promising for several vaccine candidates. If there's a vaccine circulating before the end of 2020, that bodes well for cruises in 2021: perhaps limited-capacity cruises in the spring, increasing throughout 2021.

 

I could definitely see the cruise line requiring a vaccine certificate prior to boarding. 

 

This pandemic will end, it's just a matter of time. Don't worry, folks, we'll get there.

[GA Dave]

12 hours ago, Trimone said:

After the news today that a man has had Covid-19 twice, a different strain, this creates a completely new ball game, it means, that for vaccine has to be a universal coronavirus.

And herd immunity goes out the window.

Just did the math.  One person out of the current world population verified to have a second occurrence = .000000012808% chance.

Odds of getting hit by lightning in the USA in one year = .00014286%

Odds of getting hit by lightning in your lifetime = .0333%

Odds of dying in a car crash in the USA = .9709%

[Trimone]

Dr David Strain, from the University of Exeter, said: “This is a worrying finding for several reasons. The first, as is laid out in this manuscript, is that it suggests that previous infection is not protective. The second is that it raises the possibility that vaccinations may not provide the hope that we have been waiting for.

“Vaccinations work by simulating infection to the body, thereby allowing the body to develop antibodies. If antibodies don’t provide lasting protection, we will need to revert to a strategy of viral near-elimination in order to return to a more normal life.”
What did you say about MATHS ?

[sanger727]

15 hours ago, Trimone said:

Dr David Strain, from the University of Exeter, said: “This is a worrying finding for several reasons. The first, as is laid out in this manuscript, is that it suggests that previous infection is not protective. The second is that it raises the possibility that vaccinations may not provide the hope that we have been waiting for.

“Vaccinations work by simulating infection to the body, thereby allowing the body to develop antibodies. If antibodies don’t provide lasting protection, we will need to revert to a strategy of viral near-elimination in order to return to a more normal life.”
What did you say about MATHS ?

 

I read another article that said the exact opposite. It's promising because the second time the person got it he was asymptomatic. Implying that the first round of coronavirus did stimulate a protective response that helped eliminate symptoms for reinfection. And this was for a different strain. So infection from one straight shows protection against other strains. If a vaccine were to not stop infections but greatly reduce symptoms, especially over multiples strains, that would also be a win.

[PelicanBill]

We just don't know anywhere enough about reinfection antibody-based immunity or resistance yet.  In general we are still practicing varying degrees of lockdown so I would expect people who got sick to be even more cautious after recovery.

 

There was some indication that there is antibody immunity, but that it may degrade more rapidly than other antibody immunity. And there is some evidence of multiple strains.  That sounds very flu-like.  If we can achieve a vaccine that has the same efficacy as the flu vaccine, required every year to maintain protection, I think that would be adequate and place more control back in each person's hands.  especially if it means a weaker set of symptoms if I still catch it, and a much lower chance it is serious enough for hospitalization or risk of death.  Like the flu.  I think we could all resume normal life with that.