Covid on Iona

[Megabear2]

Staysure, Holiday Extras, Avanti and AXA were the four companies I asked the question of.  They all said no quarantine payments but if you're sick they get you home.  Grey area here: the gentleman is definitely ill, however is his wife and the others or have they just been quarantined in case?  If they're all positive they may be covered, if it's just precautionary presumably they wont be.  Based on UK costs its £2,200 for quarantine hotel.  I read on the Barbados Government site their quarantine hotels are around US$250 per night. No idea what the Spanish are charging but it its probably comparable.

[molecrochip]

OK - lets clear up a few things. I'm not up to speed on this specific incident but am happy to give some wider context.

 

In advance of arriving at each port, weeks in advance, P&O will have agreed protocols with each local authority. In general, that is disembarkation at the next port as this reduces the risk of the spread of the virus on board ship. Additionally, by being on land, if the condition deteriorates then hospital treatment is readily available without the restrictions of being at sea.

 

Yes, there are quarantine cabins on board both for positive cases and separately for close contacts. These will used by anyone testing positive until they are disembarked. They will also be used for precautionary quarantining of close contacts.  Close contacts are not disembarked as they may not be positive.

 

If you have bought the correct travel insurance which includes Covid cover, then the point of incidence is the point you are confirmed as positive on board - which is the PCR test rather than an LFT anti-gen test. You will not therefore have to cover the cost of in-situ quarantining or returning home as your insurance covers medical and repatriation. That said, as is usual, you may have to pay the cost up front and claim back.

 

In-situ quarantine hotels, for this purpose, are part of the medical journey home. For these purposes, a Quarantine hotel is more akin to hospitalisation.  The typical Heathrow airport quarantine hotel which you have to use irrespective of your Covid test result, but because of travelling from a red list country are not covered by insurance policies.

 

P&O through their care team will make arrangements with the local authorities for quarantine and then travel home. If you are Covid positive, no airline will allow you to fly. The P&O care team will help liaise with insurance companies and will remain in contact (often physically in the same location) until you return home.

[molecrochip]

Just to add... a positive case was always a "when" not an "if".

 

There have been standard Covid protocols but are also enhanced protocols when cases are known to exist. Its now down to the crew to implement these protocols, which I'm sure they will do well.

 

It's also up to the passengers on board to get tested if they have symptoms for their own good and that of their fellow passengers and crew.

[Son of Anarchy]

Thank you for the clarification.

[ohnonotmeagain]

Do you not think though, that some people will be LESS likely to report any symptoms if there's a chance they will be ejected at the next port,if tested positive.Obviously mild symptoms can be hidden reasonably well,e.g. Paracetamol for mild fever. If you don't plan to get off at "testing " ports,you're not going to get tested,so no positive result. A recent staycation cruise I was on regularly requested people not to self medicate but go to the ships doctor. How many would do so now?

[wowzz]

I know that I may have misunderstand this,  but if the pax tested positive prior to arrival in Lisbon,  why do they have to go to a hotel in Cadiz?

[Ardennais]

I don’t intend to cruise until next year sometime but just asking in case there are other people like me who just won’t fly but are considering a cruise in the near future, ex UK. 

 

Molecrochip - your explanation above is very clear and I fully understand and accept the protocols. But have P&O actually provided a similar explanation on their website? Because I assumed, incorrectly it now seems, that any positive cases would be moved to the quarantine cabins and remain there until their return to Southampton. 
 

Had I a cruise booked in the next few months, the latest development would have freaked me out! 

[jake 26]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

I know that I may have misunderstand this,  but if the pax tested positive prior to arrival in Lisbon,  why do they have to go to a hotel in Cadiz?

From what I understand they were booked on an excursion in Lisbon which required negative test result so they undertook the test 2 days earlier when in Cadiz.

[terrierjohn]

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I know that I may have misunderstand this,  but if the pax tested positive prior to arrival in Lisbon,  why do they have to go to a hotel in Cadiz?

I think Cadiz came before Lisbon on this cruise, but I could be wrong.

[ohnonotmeagain]

I too was under the impression that if tested positive AND not seriously ill, that I would be quarantined but on the ship and brought back to Southampton,not off loaded.

[terrierjohn]

Just now, ohnonotmeagain said:

I too was under the impression that if tested positive AND not seriously ill, that I would be quarantined but on the ship and brought back to Southampton,not off loaded.

I must admit that if this is going to be standard practise, it will definitely lead to people not declaring they feel ill and avoiding any tests just in case, and I think I may be one of them.

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, jake 26 said:

From what I understand they were booked on an excursion in Lisbon which required negative test result so they undertook the test 2 days earlier when in Cadiz.

So, would not the ship have left Cadiz by the time the results were known ?

[Britboys]

16 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I know that I may have misunderstand this,  but if the pax tested positive prior to arrival in Lisbon,  why do they have to go to a hotel in Cadiz?

As others have said, the pax undertook LFT tests on board to enable them to go ashore in Lisbon. The lady posting explained that her husband's LFT came back positive so he then had to have a PCR, which also came back positive. Once in Cadiz (either when the test results became known or just after) they therefore had to be disembarked. I believe that the cruise line must inform the port if they have any infection aboard and hence the authorities in Cadiz taking the subsequent action.

Apparently, something similar happened on a Marella cruise last week.

Edited October 6, 2021 by Britboys
Addition

[ann141]

I had been under the impression (like others) that if tested positive on a cruise I would be quarantined on the ship until Southampton.Had I known that I would be off loaded at the next port, have to spend goodness knows how long in a hotel and then have to fly home (I am a nervous flyer) I may have not booked even if P and O were meeting the cost.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, Britboys said:

As others have said, the pax undertook LFT tests on board to enable them to go ashore in Lisbon. The lady posting explained that her husband's LFT came back positive so he then had to have a PCR, which also came back positive. Once in Cadiz (either when the test results became known or just after) they therefore had to be disembarked. I believe that the cruise line must inform the port if they have any infection aboard and hence the authorities in Cadiz taking the subsequent action.

Apparently, something similar happened on a Marella cruise last week.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I had been under the impression (like others) that if tested positive on a cruise I would be quarantined on the ship until Southampton.Had I known that I would be off loaded at the next port, have to spend goodness knows how long in a hotel and then have to fly home (I am a nervous flyer) I may have not booked even if P and O were meeting the cost.

To be fair,  if your symptoms became serious, it would be much better if you were on land,  close to a hospital,  rather than out at sea with limited medical support.

[ann141]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

To be fair,  if your symptoms became serious, it would be much better if you were on land,  close to a hospital,  rather than out at sea with limited medical support.

I agree but being double vaccinated it is much more likely that I would have mild symptoms.I don't think it encourages people to get tested onboard if they develop mild covid symptoms and if that is the case, covid is more likely to spread.

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

To be fair,  if your symptoms became serious, it would be much better if you were on land,  close to a hospital,  rather than out at sea with limited medical support.

To be fair, although many on here are in the at risk category because of our age, it does appear that the vaccine has dramatically improved our chances of only having a mild illness, and most vaccinated hospital cases are not needing intubation

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I agree but being double vaccinated it is much more likely that I would have mild symptoms.I don't think it encourages people to get tested onboard if they develop mild covid symptoms and if that is the case, covid is more likely to spread.

If you didn't want to go ashore in Lisbon, you did not need to be tested, so I don't think your argument holds water.

[ann141]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

If you didn't want to go ashore in Lisbon, you did not need to be tested, so I don't think your argument holds water.i

I would hope that if someone onboard developed covid symptoms they would alert the doctor so that they could be tested,whether or not they were going on an excursion

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

To be fair, although many on here are in the at risk category because of our age, it does appear that the vaccine has dramatically improved our chances of only having a mild illness, and most vaccinated hospital cases are not needing intubation

Interesting argument with  the insurance company.

  "I thought I would be OK, so decided to stay on board, but unfortunately I got quite ill, so it cost £50,000 to airlift me to a hospital, and then fly me home."

 

[wowzz]

Just now, ann141 said:

I would hope that if someone onboard developed covid symptoms they would alert the doctor so that they could be tested,whether or not they were going on an excursion

No chance!

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

If you didn't want to go ashore in Lisbon, you did not need to be tested, so I don't think your argument holds water.

 

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

If you didn't want to go ashore in Lisbon, you did not need to be tested, so I don't think your argument holds water.

I think both Ann and I are pointing out that in this situation many will feel that if y

 

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Interesting argument with  the insurance company.

  "I thought I would be OK, so decided to stay on board, but unfortunately I got quite ill, so it cost £50,000 to airlift me to a hospital, and then fly me home."

 

I doubt that I would be stupid enough to admit that in those circumstances.

[Ardennais]

30 minutes ago, wowzz said:

To be fair,  if your symptoms became serious, it would be much better if you were on land,  close to a hospital,  rather than out at sea with limited medical support.

That’s understandable. My fear is being stranded abroad (as in stranded because I won’t fly) which is always at the back of my mind on any cruise. I just think, well if I’m that ill, they can sedate me to fly me home! But with all the talk about quarantine zones and some members’ cruises being cancelled due to needing their cabins, I honestly took it that mild/moderate Covid cases would be isolated on board. Like others have suggested, I really wonder whether this latest development will mean that some people with mild symptoms will just keep quiet. 
 

 

 

[wowzz]

12 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

That’s understandable. My fear is being stranded abroad (as in stranded because I won’t fly) which is always at the back of my mind on any cruise. I just think, well if I’m that ill, they can sedate me to fly me home! But with all the talk about quarantine zones and some members’ cruises being cancelled due to needing their cabins, I honestly took it that mild/moderate Covid cases would be isolated on board. Like others have suggested, I really wonder whether this latest development will mean that some people with mild symptoms will just keep quiet. 
 

 

 

I understand your concerns,  but P&O would open themselves up to major litigation if they transported a Covid patient back to the UK,  rather than disembarking them. 

Without being morbid, what if the patient died at sea, when they could have survived if they had been ashore?

Surely the quarantine areas have always been designed to be used  for those that have been in contact with Covid patients,  not the patients themselves ?