By the time the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship docked in New Orleans on December 4, after a week-long cruise with stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico, 17 cases of coronavirus had been identified on the ship, including one case of the new Omicron. -variant. Local and federal health authorities were notified, but not all passengers disembarked.
“I didn’t find out until I got home and saw it on the news,” says Betsy Rodriguez, a retired veterinarian who took the Caribbean cruise with her daughter. “We felt pretty safe because we knew everyone on the ship had been vaccinated, but I think it would have been good to know that people had tested positive so we could have been more careful.”
Since the cruise industry restarted in the United States in June, its efforts to keep the coronavirus at bay — or at least contain it, unlike the major outbreaks in 2020 — have been largely successful. Most cruise lines require full vaccinations for crew and most passengers, and have implemented strict health and safety protocols to quickly identify cases of coronavirus on board and reduce its spread.
But in recent months, as new and highly contagious variants have emerged and cases worldwide are steadily increasing, these measures have been put to the test. Many shipping companies are adjusting their masking, testing and vaccine rules, as criticism mounts over the lack of transparency in reporting positive cases to passengers and crew members during sailings.
A Breakaway crew member, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the news media, said he first heard about the outbreak from a friend and colleague. When he contacted management, they neither shared the number of positive cases nor identified who was infected.
“I would like to know who tested positive because this new variant spreads very quickly and I have a medical condition which means I have to be very careful and protect myself,” he said, expressing concern that if he got sick , he could be sent back to his home country. “I can’t afford that because I have to take care of my family at home.”
Most cruise lines do not publicly disclose the number of coronavirus cases identified during sailings, but all cruise ships sailing to and from U.S. ports must submit daily numbers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which use a color-coded system to inform the public. to inquire whether the number of cases is above or below the agency’s threshold for an investigation. Sharing this data is one of several requirements in the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, a set of CDC guidelines cruise lines must follow to operate in U.S. waters.
The 17 cases aboard Norwegian Breakaway were first publicly reported by the Louisiana State Department of Health on Dec 4. All passengers and crew — more than 3,200 people — on board were fully vaccinated, according to the company’s policy.
Norwegian declined to comment on its policy for reporting cases aboard its ships or whether any additional Breakaway crew tested positive after passengers disembarked.
“All identified cases on board were asymptomatic,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We have implemented quarantine, isolation and contact tracing procedures for identified cases and tested all individuals on Norwegian Breakaway prior to disembarkation.” In addition, he said, passengers were given “post-exposure and public health quarantine guidelines,” as outlined by the CDC.
Reporting to the CDC
The coronavirus has devastated the cruise industry in the early stages of the pandemic, infecting hundreds of cruise passengers and workers and shutting down the industry for 18 months. To start sailing, cruise ships had to agree to the CDC’s conditional navigation order, which is valid until January 15.
One of the security measures required by the warrant — in addition to filing the daily number of coronavirus cases — is a prevention and control plan for each cruise ship. The plan, said Bari Golin-Blaugrund, a spokeswoman for the trade group Cruise Line International Association, includes “procedures to inform passengers and crew that a Covid-19 threshold has been reached or exceeded.”
“The cruise industry’s reporting requirements and practices are virtually unparalleled when compared to other industries in the United States, especially within the travel and tourism industry,” she said.
In a CDC report of coronavirus data published last month, cruise operators had reported 1,359 positive cases between June 26 and October 21. During that time, there were 49 hospitalizations, 38 medical evacuations and one death from coronavirus infections detected aboard cruise ships.
The report revealed several major outbreaks, including one in which a symptomatic passenger who tested positive on a ship in July was linked to 20 additional cases over two crossings. One ship reported 58 positive cases between July 24 and August 28, and another reported 112 cases over four consecutive voyages, ending September 7. Most cases were breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated passengers.
While the CDC relies on data reported by the cruise lines, the agency also conducts inspections to ensure cruise ships are compliant.
With the rise of Delta and Omicron variants, and as the virus ramps up around the world, cruise lines have adjusted their health and safety protocols, reinstated measures such as mask mandates and demanded additional testing from passengers. Beginning January 13, Disney Cruise Line will require all children over the age of 5 to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic: important things to know
Pfizer’s Covid Pill. A study of Pfizer’s oral Covid treatment confirmed that it helps prevent serious diseases, even of the Omicron variant, the company announced. Pfizer said the treatment reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent if given within three days of the onset of symptoms.
Demand remains high
Despite the new limitations and risks associated with new variants, demand for future cruises remains high. Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line, reported that its bookings for the second half of 2022 have surpassed bookings for 2019. Royal Caribbean said the Delta variant had bookings in 2021 and 2022, but not before 2023.
“I think what people have said is, I want to go out, but I don’t want to do it too soon. I want to make sure things have stabilized,” Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean Cruises, said in the company’s latest earnings call in October.
Miranda Gibson, 63, an avid cruiser from Tampa, Florida, took two cruises this summer but then canceled three cruises she had planned for the rest of the year due to concerns about the Delta variant.
“The first cruise I took in the Caribbean in June was heaven because everyone was vaccinated, Covid was under control and it was the first time in such a long time that we could have some carefree fun,” she said.
“Now with the variants everything is prickly again and you can’t really get a really relaxing cruise experience if you’re concerned about Covid and masks and rules,” she explained. “I’m booked in June 2022 and I know I’ll be tempted to go earlier, but I’m going to wait until it’s safer.”
Others believe that cruise ships are among the safest vacation environments, due to vaccine requirements and testing protocols.
“When you’re on a plane, or in a hotel, or in a theme park, you don’t know who has Covid around you,” said Timothy Ryan, 67, a retired Miami financial trader who has 16 cruises booked through 2022. a cruise it is immediately detected and the positive cases are isolated so that you can continue your vacation in a Covid-free bubble. I really don’t know a safer way to travel.”
