Over 3,500 people quarantined on Diamond Princess cruise

[Adventurelawyer]

Based on nbc news this is where the containment strategies breaks down and it becomes impossible to contain. 4 people were taken off in an ambulance, 2 on stretchers, and they had been under monitoring on the ship already. It seems everyone else will be disembarked and sent home. We’ve seen from Diamond Princess that this thing spreads pretty rapidly on a ship (from 1 person who left 15 days ago to 61 cases). So 4 active, and potentially severe (given the stretchers) patients have the potential for a greater outbreak, and all those people are scattering back home.... On Diamond Princess several of the new cases say they are symptomatic but feel fine (light cough, fever), but how contagious are they and given 10 days do their symptoms become serious or will they stay minor. That’s what we really need to figure out before we can get a handle on the spread.

The 4 on the RCI ship are not confirmed yet. They could also have the flue.

Also, none are from Wuhan, so that is actually in line with CDC quarantine policies. If none are symptomatic, they will be told to go home and stay home, self monitor. This is the reason the cruise lines want your post travel destination and actual address and phone number for contact.
The reason we quarantine is so we don’t overwhelm the system. We can still manage the trickle of cases and we can still keep the medical system here from crashing, despite this latest news. But if you haven’t, I’d be dumping RCL from my stock portfolio. Downward spiral.

 

[lanejudy]

The 4 on the RCI ship are not confirmed yet. They could also have the flue.

Right, or they could have any other ailment that occurred during the cruise and would result in a medical debarkation. An ambulance at a cruise ship debarkation is not all that uncommon, especially these longer cruises which typically have older passengers than the average Disney cruise. Other than the report that 24 passengers who may have been to China being checked, there has been no direct correlation between anyone ill (from this sailing) having been in China or exposed to Coronavirus.

 

[FSU Girl]

But if someone infected coughs or sneezes in your face, handwashing won’t help.

That happened to me on my last Disney cruise. I was in the elevator and someone sneezed right in my face, was horrible and I ended up getting sick later on. My next cruise isn't until NYE, I'm hoping that this is gone by then.

 

[gotomu212]

The 4 on the RCI ship are not confirmed yet. They could also have the flue.

Also, none are from Wuhan, so that is actually in line with CDC quarantine policies. If none are symptomatic, they will be told to go home and stay home, self monitor. This is the reason the cruise lines want your post travel destination and actual address and phone number for contact.
The reason we quarantine is so we don’t overwhelm the system. We can still manage the trickle of cases and we can still keep the medical system here from crashing, despite this latest news. But if you haven’t, I’d be dumping RCL from my stock portfolio. Downward spiral.

Very true, but a flu test can be run in about 5 minutes and ruled in or out. The fact that 2 passengers from China are showing severe signs of respiratory infection and have been sick on the ship for a few days a least means that potentially they have exposed 3k people (and from Diamond we know it spends much faster on a ship). I would think it would make total sense in a suspected case like this to wait the day it could take to get results before sending 3k people onto planes and trains in the NYC metro.

 

[Gentry2004]

Quote from CNN Article:

"Royal Caribbean will "be conducting enhanced sanitation in the cruise terminal and onboard, as part of our ongoing illness prevention efforts," the cruise line tweeted to passengers expected to board.
The ship is "still scheduled to sail and if you choose to cancel regular cancellation penalties would apply," according to a tweet."

This is crazy. During this time period these companies really need to let people cancel flights, trains, buses, and cruises without penalty.

Yeah I would not be thrilled about boarding that ship today, especially without the test results from the passengers being monitored, which could take 48 hours.

 

[gotomu212]

Right, or they could have any other ailment that occurred during the cruise and would result in a medical debarkation. An ambulance at a cruise ship debarkation is not all that uncommon, especially these longer cruises which typically have older passengers than the average Disney cruise. Other than the report that 24 passengers who may have been to China being checked, there has been no direct correlation between anyone ill (from this sailing) having been in China or exposed to Coronavirus.

Agreed nothing can be ruled in or out, BUT there are 2 sick family members with a travel history to China showing respiratory symptoms (and apparently have been ill during the cruise). So there is a direct correlation between travel history and I’ll passengers.

 

[Dug720]

IIRC weren’t the doors push to exit anyway? I seem to remember opening them with my backside, but maybe not it was a few years ago.

No, they are pull to exit.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

Very true, but a flu test can be run in about 5 minutes and ruled in or out. The fact that 2 passengers from China are showing severe signs of respiratory infection and have been sick on the ship for a few days a least means that potentially they have exposed 3k people (and from Diamond we know it spends much faster on a ship). I would think it would make total sense in a suspected case like this to wait the day it could take to get results before sending 3k people onto planes and trains in the NYC metro.

Exactly I preferred the Italian response to the same matter. They just kept them all on board untill tests were done. Let's remeber that the third UK case has contracted it in Singapore not in China and now the UK has widen its alert area to Asia rather than just China.

 

[FigmentSpark]

What if you were in China, but, as an American, you don't need your passport? Why would you take it if you don't think there's a medical problem, but you want to board the ship?

 

[lanejudy]

Agreed nothing can be ruled in or out, BUT there are 2 sick family members with a travel history to China showing respiratory symptoms (and apparently have been ill during the cruise). So there is a direct correlation between travel history and I’ll passengers.

I'll have to re-read the posted articles as I didn't catch any of that.

 

[MrMichaelJames]

What if you were in China, but, as an American, you don't need your passport? Why would you take it if you don't think there's a medical problem, but you want to board the ship?

I would think that being a good citizen of the world you would tell them that you have been in China recently and shouldn't board and would like a refund. Or call before your cruise and sort it out instead of potentially infecting everyone on the ship and in the cruise terminal. If you have been in the last 20 days or been around anyone that has then you are not supposed to board.

 

[spiders]

But if someone infected coughs or sneezes in your face, handwashing won’t help.

How many times has someone actually coughed or sneezed in your face?

 

[orangecuse]

Here is Celebrity’s response:

 

[gatechfan99]

What if you were in China, but, as an American, you don't need your passport? Why would you take it if you don't think there's a medical problem, but you want to board the ship?

I would think someone would be crazy to not bring their passport on a cruise right now with all the possible health concerns. If something happens with your health and you get sent off the ship, that would be a nightmare to be in a foreign port without a passport.

 

[MrMichaelJames]

Here is Celebrity’s response:

Interesting, so they will check temps and then possibly oxygen levels in the blood, if fever or if low oxygen level they will deny boarding. Right now there are NO penalties for lieing though so this will really only catch folks with China, Hong Kong or Macau passports.

 

[Jax1023]

Agreed nothing can be ruled in or out, BUT there are 2 sick family members with a travel history to China showing respiratory symptoms (and apparently have been ill during the cruise). So there is a direct correlation between travel history and I’ll passengers.

They’re now saying one of these people tested positive for flu a. So that seems to be the likely cause of illness

 

[Gentry2004]

Have the cruise lines said if they are refunding those denied boarding?

 

[MarkLT1]

Interesting, yet in this message, there is no indication of if those denied boarding will have their trip cost refunded/trip rescheduled to another sailing without penalty. If it is the case that being denied boarding because of suspected Coronavirus, will end up with a refund, they should be up-front about this, which would encourage more people to be honest. Like it or not, people are much less forthcoming if they think they might be throwing thousands of dollars away.

 

[Gentry2004]

How many times has someone actually coughed or sneezed in your face?

Quite often. I’m a teacher.

 

[Dug720]

Quite often. I’m a teacher.

Yep. Last Friday. I've mastered zipping coats from behind. But last week I was sharpening pencils at a table across from a kid who knows better and he sneezed full on in my face. Had to take Monday off to go to CityMD and get a strep test (negative) as my throat was sore enough (and spreading into my ear) to wake me up at 2am. Turns out it was tonsilitis, but still.