If positive today, can I board in 15 days?

[JamieLogical]

My husband and I are set to board the Equinox on 1/21, in 15 days. I found out that a couple of my coworkers and their family members tested positive this morning. If I take a test today and find out it is positive, will I be allowed to board the ship in 15 days assuming I am recovered/asymptomatic and test negative 48 hours prior to sailing?

[brzymom]

I beleive you will if you test negative within 48 hours of sailing. Good luck!!

[vahey6266]

We are going 2/5 and tested positive right around Christmas.  We are all fully vaccinated and boostered, so had very mild cases.  I still tested positive this week with absolutely no symptoms, so am getting nervous since I heard you can test positive for 90 days!   Hopefully, you test negative.  

[JamieLogical]

22 minutes ago, vahey6266 said:

We are going 2/5 and tested positive right around Christmas.  We are all fully vaccinated and boostered, so had very mild cases.  I still tested positive this week with absolutely no symptoms, so am getting nervous since I heard you can test positive for 90 days!   Hopefully, you test negative.  

 

 That's unlucky. 90 days seems nuts. My research has said that people usually only test positive for 5-8 days, but some for as long as six weeks.

[JamieLogical]

Does anyone know if the health questionnaire you fill out in the Celebrity app right before sailing has a question along the lines of "Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?"

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, vahey6266 said:

We are going 2/5 and tested positive right around Christmas.  We are all fully vaccinated and boostered, so had very mild cases.  I still tested positive this week with absolutely no symptoms, so am getting nervous since I heard you can test positive for 90 days!   Hopefully, you test negative.  

What type of test did you take?  At home test?  Or from a testing center?  Was it an RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test? 

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, vahey6266 said:

We are going 2/5 and tested positive right around Christmas.  We are all fully vaccinated and boostered, so had very mild cases.  I still tested positive this week with absolutely no symptoms, so am getting nervous since I heard you can test positive for 90 days!   Hopefully, you test negative.  

Do NOT take a PCR test! It can remain positive for weeks. Carefully read the Healthy at Sea protocols and the CDC website (although the pertinent info from the CDC may be on the portion of the website for health prof, even that area is available publicly although it is more technical).

Per CDC and best available science, you should not be transmitting virus 6 weeks out from a positive test - only exception is in the very immunocompromised and if a person is in that category, he should  be consulting their MD about cruising anyway, because it would be quite risky for him.

There are protocols for obtaining waivers, but it is easier to follow the CDC guidelines about masking and isolation and do home follow up antigen tests. Consult your MD or the person who treated you for Covid for specific advice.

Fifteen days is a little harder. I would consult a treating physician about that - again, CDC rules about isolation are based on the likelihood of disease transmission after leaving isolation.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

Does anyone know if the health questionnaire you fill out in the Celebrity app right before sailing has a question along the lines of "Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?"

 

In October they did not have that exact question but they do have one --

 

In the last 14 days, have you been in contact with someone who has influenza-like illness or confirmed covid-19?

Edited January 6, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[JamieLogical]

26 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

In October they did not have that exact question but they do have one --

 

In the last 14 days, have you been in contact with someone who has influenza-like illness or confirmed covid-19?

 

Well, that would be about the same thing then, since my husband would have to answer yes to that if I were to test positive today.

Edited January 6, 2022 by JamieLogical

[teacherman]

It was my understanding that if you tested positive within 14 days of a positive test you could cancel the cruise and receive a refund.  Some places will accept a letter from your doctor saying you have recovered from Covid and are no longer contagious but I do not think Celebrity will accept a letter.  You have to show negative test results within 48 hours 

[JamieLogical]

2 minutes ago, teacherman said:

It was my understanding that if you tested positive within 14 days of a positive test you could cancel the cruise and receive a refund.  Some places will accept a letter from your doctor saying you have recovered from Covid and are no longer contagious but I do not think Celebrity will accept a letter.  You have to show negative test results within 48 hours 

 

I know that I would be eligible to cancel, but I would prefer not to. If I were to be asymptomatic, recovered, and testing negative, I would still like to sail. But I know that is a lot of "ifs", starting with if I test positive today. Still awaiting results.

[D C]

1 hour ago, cangelmd said:

Do NOT take a PCR test! It can remain positive for weeks. Carefully read the Healthy at Sea protocols and the CDC website (although the pertinent info from the CDC may be on the portion of the website for health prof, even that area is available publicly although it is more technical).

Per CDC and best available science, you should not be transmitting virus 6 weeks out from a positive test - only exception is in the very immunocompromised and if a person is in that category, he should  be consulting their MD about cruising anyway, because it would be quite risky for him.

There are protocols for obtaining waivers, but it is easier to follow the CDC guidelines about masking and isolation and do home follow up antigen tests. Consult your MD or the person who treated you for Covid for specific advice.

Fifteen days is a little harder. I would consult a treating physician about that - again, CDC rules about isolation are based on the likelihood of disease transmission after leaving isolation.

I believe you mean don't take a PCR pre-cruise.  Now would be fine though. 

[D C]

31 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Well, that would be about the same thing then, since my husband would have to answer yes to that if I were to test positive today.

And hopefully if you're positive, he successfully avoids a positive. 

[DCPIV]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Does anyone know if the health questionnaire you fill out in the Celebrity app right before sailing has a question along the lines of "Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?"

 

I don't recall the specific language, but I do recall a question that essentially asked that.  I do not recall just what the "close contact" question asked.

 

As I understand their policy, boarding 15 days after a positive test is fine so long as you test negative within 48 hours and do not have symptoms.

[RichYak]

7 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I know that I would be eligible to cancel, but I would prefer not to. If I were to be asymptomatic, recovered, and testing negative, I would still like to sail. But I know that is a lot of "ifs", starting with if I test positive today. Still awaiting results.

Technically you're 15 days out, not 14 days. So even if you test positive today, remain asymptomatic, and don't test again until the normal 2 days prior (and it's negative), you can both still answer the questionnaire truthfully and sail.

 

If you start developing any symptoms after today, unfortunately, that's game over.

[vahey6266]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

What type of test did you take?  At home test?  Or from a testing center?  Was it an RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test? 

Home rapid antigen test

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Does anyone know if the health questionnaire you fill out in the Celebrity app right before sailing has a question along the lines of "Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?"

My recollection is that there was a question like that for our December 3 cruise. I hope you and your husband are both negative. 

[TeeRick]

5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

My husband and I are set to board the Equinox on 1/21, in 15 days. I found out that a couple of my coworkers and their family members tested positive this morning. If I take a test today and find out it is positive, will I be allowed to board the ship in 15 days assuming I am recovered/asymptomatic and test negative 48 hours prior to sailing?

Wow this is a very common situation right now.  I think the key is to test negative (you and your husband) two days before the cruise.  I might not test today unless I feel symptoms.  When were you in close contact with your co-workers?   You would probably need to wait a few days beyond your known exposure to them anyway.  When was that? 

[JamieLogical]

17 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Wow this is a very common situation right now.  I think the key is to test negative (you and your husband) two days before the cruise.  I might not test today unless I feel symptoms.  When were you in close contact with your co-workers?   You would probably need to wait a few days beyond your known exposure to them anyway.  When was that? 

 

Tuesday morning was the only time this week that I was in the same room as my now COVID-positive coworkers for any amount of time.

[padgman1]

Hopefully, your test comes back negative ( and your precruise test 2-3 days prior to embarkation is also negative)...

[phoenix_dream]

5 hours ago, vahey6266 said:

We are going 2/5 and tested positive right around Christmas.  We are all fully vaccinated and boostered, so had very mild cases.  I still tested positive this week with absolutely no symptoms, so am getting nervous since I heard you can test positive for 90 days!   Hopefully, you test negative.  

Keep in mind the testing positive for months potentially is for people taking PCR tests.  Rapid Antigen tests are different and detect only current infection.  So unless you are flying internationally and need a PCR test, if you are no longer sick an antigen test should show negative

[phoenix_dream]

2 hours ago, RichYak said:

Technically you're 15 days out, not 14 days. So even if you test positive today, remain asymptomatic, and don't test again until the normal 2 days prior (and it's negative), you can both still answer the questionnaire truthfully and sail.

 

If you start developing any symptoms after today, unfortunately, that's game over.

that's my understanding as well

[cangelmd]

2 hours ago, D C said:

I believe you mean don't take a PCR pre-cruise.  Now would be fine though. 

I was responding in particular to the second person who had tested positive around Christmas time, recovered, but was still testing positive. She said she was cruising in early Feb. 

if you are positive, and recover, I would not advise anyone to retest for about 2 weeks after recovery, unless required to take a test for work, school etc. Especially not a PCR which is notorious for picking up RNA way after a person is no longer infectious. Lateral flow has issues too, more likely to be negative, but negative test did not correlate well enough with not infectious for CDC to recommend complete release (no mask) from isolation.

Please remember that there are large swathes of the country that even today most people aren’t routinely masking. CDC is being, rightly so, very cautious.

[Oceansaway17]

wow sorry to hear this news.  It is becoming the norm.

 

I would say if you do not test positive today, or in 5 days or 2 days before your cruise, you are good to go.  You have to be careful of the 8 hours window but if between now and the day you test for the cruise you are NEGATIVE, I would be you would be okay on test day as well.

It is the next 5 days that things would develop.  at least that is what the lovely CDC is saying as well.

 

good luck and keep us posted.  

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, Oceansaway17 said:

wow sorry to hear this news.  It is becoming the norm.

 

I would say if you do not test positive today, or in 5 days or 2 days before your cruise, you are good to go.  You have to be careful of the 8 hours window but if between now and the day you test for the cruise you are NEGATIVE, I would be you would be okay on test day as well.

It is the next 5 days that things would develop.  at least that is what the lovely CDC is saying as well.

 

good luck and keep us posted.  

 

My test results still haven't come back. I have a home test I can take, but I would prefer to save it for a few days from now. At-home tests are getting hard to come by around here.