I know that in the past several weeks, Cruise Lines have become somewhat of a scapegoat in the press as being responsible for spreading the Coronavirus. Some of the public have been so enraged by what they read that they feel the cruise lines should be punished. I thought it was important to point out a few things that might help you put it in perspective.
What you may not know…
Airlines and hotels are not required to ever report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) if any of their guests or passengers are sick. Cruise Lines have always been held to a higher standard, and while 99% of the time a guest picks up something before they ever arrive onboard the ship, it is the ship that must report the illness to the CDC as well as local officials around the world, and hence be forever associated with it.
Cruise Ships are meticulous in their sanitation practices.
The CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) sets these standards through their Vessel Sanitation Program. Extremely rigorous inspections govern them by the U.S.Public Health Service (USPH). Every vessel that has a foreign itinerary and carries 13 or more passengers is subject to twice-yearly unannounced inspections and, when necessary, reinspection. These inspectors grade cruise ships on a myriad of benchmarks far beyond hotel and restaurant standards, including but not limited to: chemical systems, water systems, sanitation systems, emergency systems, food preparation systems, cleaning systems, basically all aspects of a 291-page VSP Operations Manual. And, they need a score of 85 out of 100 to pass. Few public facilities could ever compete with a cruise ship on cleanliness.
More impressive is that the CDC is involved in the building process from the very beginning, frequently inspecting the cruise ship at various times of construction and ensuring that the codes the CDC has provided are being implemented. They provide input and specifications on how to have the most hygienic work environment, including using the highest quality and materials, having surfaces that are stainless steel and covered, ensuring the maintenance of the equipment is continual and that cleaning is of the highest standards. Ok, so with all that oversight, why are they getting such a bad rap?
A few things we have learned these last few weeks are:
1. This virus is highly contagious.
2. You can spread the disease despite not having any symptoms.
3. It tends to hit those of us who are older and have underlying health issues much harder.
Hindsight is 20/20…
…but we (and a lot of foreign governments) made some big mistakes early on when it came to cruise ships. By not allowing the healthy passengers to get off the ship as soon as possible and self-quarantine, it was inevitable that the numbers of infected would increase. It is also a fact that cruise ship guests do skew older, simply because they have the time in their retirement years to travel. At the time that our government encouraged us not to travel and specifically on cruise ships, there were 40 cruise ships still at sea, and many are still looking for a port in which to offload their guests.
While I understand that fear and selling ad space can be a significant driver of some of this coverage, let us not forget that the cruise industry shut down immediately when asked by the government. They reported to the CDC when guests showed flu-like symptoms and immediately took action. There were a lot of additional extenuating circumstances that exacerbated the situation, entirely out of their control.
I, for one, have great respect for those working in the cruise industry, employing thousands and thousands of Americans directly and indirectly. It is an extraordinary industry filled with professionals doing the right thing, striving daily to find new ways to lessen our carbon footprint while still allowing us to connect with our families and see the world.
Looking Forward
Although these times are truly challenging, this too shall pass. In the meantime, let’s do our part in stopping the spread by cuddling up with our fur babies on the couch, scrolling endlessly through Disney+, and listening to our kids complain about how much they miss their friends. But most of all, by embracing the quality time we get to spend with our loved ones, 6 feet apart, of course.
