After we final reported on the COVID-19 standing of the Jewel of the Seas 5 days in the past, there have been twelve (12) crew members and 7 (7) visitors who initially examined constructive for COVID-19 because the Royal Caribbean cruise ship was crusing round Eire, Wales, Scotland and England.
Spike in COVID-19 Cases Among Crew Members on Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas
At the moment, in response to Royal Caribbean, there was a rise within the variety of contaminated crew members, resulting in a the employees captain sending an e-mail to the crew members to remind them to put on KN95 masks on the ship:
“We have now sadly currently seen a spike within the COVID19 circumstances amongst our crew!
Please guarantee following is strictly adhered to to ensure that us to interrupt this inclining curve of C+ circumstances:
KN95 Masks are to be worn in any respect the instances, besides when in your cabin or when consuming, consuming or smoking.”
When the Jewel of the Seas returned to Amsterdam from its final cruise on Friday, Might twenty seventh, the variety of visitors who examined constructive had elevated to twenty-nine (29).
The day after the Jewel of the Seas launched into its present cruise to Iceland, half of the crew underwent antigen testing. The variety of crew members contaminated with COVID-19 had elevated to nineteen (19).
After the second half of the crew members underwent antigen exams afterward Saturday, the variety of ship staff who examined constructive elevated once more, this time to a complete of thirty-five (35) crew members. These contaminated crew members had been remoted and housed within the “Purple Zone” on decks three and 4 of the ship.
Included within the crew members contaminated with COVID-19 was the grasp of the Jewel of the Seas who had simply signed on the ship. He’s required to isolate in his personal cabin on deck 9, near bridge.
Along with the grasp, the ship’s employees captain and chief security officer additionally examined constructive for COVID-19.
There are at the moment precisely 783 crew members on the Jewel of the Seas. 35 of them are contaminated with COVID-19. This seems to be round 4 and one-half % of the crew contaminated with the virus. If crusing from the U.S., the Royal Caribbean ship could be topic to an investigation by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (“CDC”). As a result of it’s crusing from Europe, there clearly is not any obligation to report the an infection fee to a U.S. federal well being company.
This now appears to be the brand new regular, with cruise voyages having a minimum of a few dozen contaminated crew members and cruise visitors. Maybe there are some cruise ships with fewer contaminated crew members. One drawback is that an contaminated crew member, in fact, not like a passenger, will stay on the ship and doubtlessly is a supply of an infection from one cruise to the following if they aren’t correctly quarantined.
This raises the query: ought to cruise strains be required to reveal the share of crew members and visitors on cruise ships who’re constructive with COVID-19? The CDC requires cruise strains to reveal the variety of people who find themselves contaminated with illnesses from norovirus and e-coli, for instance. Knowledge arising from a norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship is publicly accessible when there are a minimum of 2% of the crew or visitors constructive. The knowledge might be readily seen on the CDC’s online website.
However as issues now stand, cruise strains legally can hold outbreaks of COVID-19 secret. That’s why there are cases the place there are outbreaks with a number of hundred folks contaminated on a cruise and the general public doesn’t know a factor about it. If there’s not a authorized requirement to reveal a well being hazard, and no acountability if the cruise line retains the knowledge secret, I have no idea of any cruise line with such honesty and transparency that it could disclose a hazard voluntarily.
Most cruise strains lack transparency when it come to disclosing illness coutbreaks. That’s why, like this case, it is very important have crew members or visitors with first hand private data keen to disclose the true information. This data comes from an nameless crew member, who I’ve identified for over a yr and might be trusted to offer correct data. However some cruise strains is not going to solely conceal one of these data however affirmatively mischaracterize the reality.
At this level, the “new regular” appears to be that there’ll at all times be a number of dozen COVID-19 circumstances on each cruise ship however the cruise business will fail to reveal them to the general public.
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Picture Credit score: Jewel of the Seas – Royal Caribbean Press Center.
