Abbott's New COVID-19 Test: 97%-98% Accuracy, 15-Minute Turnaround, $5 Cost

[Ila Sikorski]

I think people just need to except there will never be a 100% guarantee of zero exposure. Tests reduce risk- not eliminate. Same with a vaccine. I got whooping cough and had the childhood vaccine. I have a feeling many are saying they will not travel or sail again until there is 100% guarantee they will not get sick- well that is never gonna happen.
Have people forgotten there are have been many other communal diseases out there the whole time in the past that put people at risk?? Hepatitus A for example.. Bet most of us dont have that vaccine, but have traveled to Mexico/Carribean and never thought how well the person who cut the pinapple for our beack cocktails washed their hands. Heck my DH even got Tyhoid as a kid and never left town.

Yep, I agree with this. People want 0% risk and it’s not going to happen. Do we need a better handle on this to resume some normalcy in terms of vacationing? Yes absolutely. But let’s get the ships modified for a post-covid world with caf style Cabanas, more hand washing stations, etc and get the ships out. I’m thinking January/February 2021 (more like hopeful, lol.)

 

[T & R]

The federal government can do anything they want, but the question is why would they help? The cruise ships are specifically flagged in foreign countries to avoid US taxes and regulations. I also doubt the cruise employees pay US taxes. So from an optics perspective, it may not look good (even if going on cruises may spur ancillary US businesses such as hotel stays, airplane flights, etc.).

The feds may help because even though the ships may be foreign flagged, many people work shore side at businesses that support/service cruises. For every 30 cruisers who depart from a U.S. Port, it supports approx. one U.S. job. The cruise industry supports almost a half million American jobs and every day that cruises are suspended costs the U.S. approx. $110 million in U.S. economic activity. Also, I doubt foreign flag or foreign ownership would matter since a large percentage of U.S. businesses are foreign owned, almost a quarter or all businesses in the U.S. What would matter is the economic and job impact to Americans and the cruise industry has that factor regardless of where the ships are flagged. You'd be shocked at how many businesses you know and love are not U.S. owned: Budweiser, Ben & Jerry's, Burger King, 7-Eleven, Holiday Inn, Gerber, Purina, AMC Theaters, GE Appliances, etc.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Not counting the Visa thing like Shmoo described, it would not be hard at all to get around the PVSA. It is written into the PVSA that you can simply pay a $762 fine per passenger for not abiding by the Act. I would be willing to let DCL tack on an extra $762 pp to my cruise price if they would let us start cruising again. If others think that amount is to high, then they can simply wait until foreign ports come back into service and prices go back to normal. Also, the Act says ships can request waivers during times of National Defense. It would not be hard to articulate that Covid has caused a state of emergency and that not visiting foreign ports would be in the best interest of national defense due to the potential risk of bringing back Covid contracted at those foreign ports. Wouldn't hurt to request such a waiver, the worst that could happen is they say no and you are just right back where you started, no harm.

The easiest way to me would just be to pay the fine or pay the extra cost of the Visas like Schmoo described and then pass those extra Visa costs onto the price of the cruise. I would be understanding that things cost more to get done when your dealing with these draconian regulations from the 1880's.

Umm.... no. Besides the $762 fine assessed per passenger, there could be other penalties assessed, included banning the ship and/or the entire cruise line from porting if they abuse it. No cruise line is going to risk knowingly violating the law just to run.

 

[AquaDame]

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