Safety at sea
develop new health and safety protocols. Carnival has gone down a similar path, as has Cunard. But probably the most impressive of these groups is Royal Caribbean’s Healthy Sail Panel. Including around a dozen experts, spanning epidemiology, virology, public health and more, it promises to “strengthen our current procedures and create new ones across the entire cruise experience”. Given Peyton’s comments focus on education,
it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Healthy Sail Panel’s new procedures begin with instructing guests. Before embarking, you’ll now have to watch detailed videos about coronavirus, as well as secure negative tests. From there, you’ll be escorted to your ventilated staterooms (possibly upgraded with the latest HVAC equipment) and encouraged to socialise out on deck. When you reach your next port of call, disembarkation will be staggered, and the gangways and corridors will be festooned with signs about the dangers of infection. And when you’re out exploring the sights in Panama or Tahiti, Royal Caribbean cleaning staff will be busy, dousing your cabin in medical-grade disinfectant. All told, says Johnson, the point is to move towards a “more preventative, proactive environment.” Fair enough. But even the best cleaning regime on earth can’t totally prevent the possibility of coronavirus slipping in and wreaking havoc. Here operators seem to have learnt the lessons of last year, where they were slow to quarantine passengers until it was too late (one epidemiologist described conditions on the ill-fated Diamond Princess as “chaotic,” even as infections spiralled and the Japanese government sat by helpless). At Royal Caribbean, explains Johnson, each positive test kickstarts a “series of processes and protocols” which first involve isolating a patient in
a room with negative pressure, to stop anyone nearby from catching the bug. Next, says Johnson, comes contact tracing. “That means identifying those people patients may have been in contact with – and potentially could have passed the infection on to – and putting them into a quarantine environment.”
Another challenge, of course, is the risk of patients catching the illness onshore. That’s especially true in those nations that are slower to vaccinate their populations – hardly impossible given many cruises stop in developing countries.
“That means identifying those people patients may have been in contact with and putting them into a quarantine environment.”
Dr Calvin Johnson, Royal Caribbean
The way forward, suggests Johnson, is to work closely with local governments, scouting out clinics and hospitals, and preparing the ground if a traveller falls sick thousands of miles from home. “It’s about thinking ahead, planning ahead,” he explains. “It’s about ensuring that you can draw upon those healthcare resources and those relationships wherever they may be needed to protect passengers.” Peyton agrees, emphasising how crucial “itinerary planning” is to keeping shoreside excursions secure.
Health precautions are here to stay With vaccination continuing apace across much of the Western world, the coronavirus emergency may soon slide into memory. Even so, don’t expect the systems dreamt up by the Healthy Sail Panel to disappear anytime soon. As Johnson puts it: “This won’t be the last infectious disease that we see that can have an impact on all aspects of society, and that includes the cruise industry.” Peyton makes a similar point, noting that influenza and measles – or even illnesses that are yet to emerge – will keep operators on their toes. In other words, though passengers two or three years from now may not have to wear masks between sips of mojito, they will probably have to fill out forms about health conditions before they’re allowed past the gangplank.
This is likely to be shadowed by a broader revamp of on-board health provisions. Already, Norwegian has promised to equip every one of its 17 ships with a dedicated health officer. And with operators from Princess to Costa committed to improving seaborne medical facilities in the face of the pandemic (Vikand, for its part, helped develop a new breathalyser test for coronavirus), there’s every reason to hope that the industry will be able to cope with the next emergency far better than it did during the tumultuous period of 2020 – in whatever form it takes. ●
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
Cruise operators must work with healthcare providers to ensure passengers are in safe hands if they fall ill.
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Maryna Terletska/
Shutterstock.com
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