Small % Norovirus Outbreak 3/21

[cruiserdrinker]

Half the ship sick?? LoL a bit overboard with that statement. It obviously got worse during the cruise as they stepped up pre-cautions at the end. Only so much the crew can do with nasty a$$ people on the ship who don't wash their hands. I saw people try and pass the barrier they put up in the WJ to skip washing their hands.

 

I was on the ship that sailed 3-21. This was no small outbreak. I am sure RCL wants everyone to think that. I was at dinner one night and felt fine. I suddenly got sick to my stomach - projectile style. I left the room and went to my cabin to change and go to bed. Meanwhile, they sent a Hazmat crew to clean the area and got my cabin information from my friends. They called me at 10:30pm and sent an escort to take me to the Medical Center. There were other people already there, and the staff said that norovirus was going around. Because I did not show the symptoms of the norovirus and was probaly just a little seasick (northern Atlantic can do that.....) they let me go. Many others were quarantined to their room, not allowed to leave for 24 hours! By the end of the cruise they wouldn't even let people touch salt and pepper shakers. This was nothing minor. Another friend of mine contracted the flu on the ship! Half of the ship was sick. It was a mess. They were cleaning thoroughly and playing happy little "wash your hands" songs but people just don't wash properly and in a confined space, this crap just flies around! They were trying really hard to control the germs to no avail.

[lara68]

I'm currently on the march 29th sailing on the quantum. Because of the deep cleaning due to the n o r o, we were delayed two hours from embarking and the cabins weren't reading until 7 pm!

[chengkp75]

Okay, without copying and quoting everyone, I've opened this twice, so I will try to run down some of the topics.

 

First off, as to the numbers, since there has not been an "outbreak update" posted to the CDC VSP website, the number of reported cases is below 3% of passengers and crew, not over 10% or half the ship.

 

The sticky solution used on the tables in the Windjammer requires 10 minutes of contact time to kill the virus. Anything that requires less contact time is not safe for application without personal protective gear, which is the stuff they use at night when things are shut down.

 

Removal of multi-user condiments is common in remediation efforts, to be replaced with single use packets.

 

The reason that older drink machines did not allow refilling was because you used the glass to depress the dispensing lever, and this could come in contact with the portion of the glass that your mouth touched. The freestyle machines are the "non-contact" type of dispensers, where you push a button to dispense, and the glass doesn't have to touch anything other than the platform it sits on. While you are touching buttons touched by others, this is a less direct method of transmission than to the lip area of the glass, and can be mitigated using a knuckle to push the button.

 

The crew in "hazmat" suits are applying a fogging agent that has less contact time required than the solution they wash the tables with, and has a persistency on both hard and soft surfaces. Typically, during an outbreak like this, if you go out in the hallways around 2-3am, they will be fogging there as well, wearing respirators with the ventilation shut down as they go through each zone. All public spaces will get fogged, and this works on items like poker chips and menus. Laundry from cabins infected or suspected of infection will get "red bagged" and washed separately in machines set up to use higher temperatures and more bleach. Cabins of infected passengers will get an additional fogging during turn-around.

 

Even given the upper number of 150, when you add in crew, you will be below the 3% reporting level. At 2% a daily report goes to CDC, and usually by this stage the ship has been swinging into remediation mode for a few days.

[beachnative]

Okay, without copying and quoting everyone, I've opened this twice, so I will try to run down some of the topics.

 

First off, as to the numbers, since there has not been an "outbreak update" posted to the CDC VSP website, the number of reported cases is below 3% of passengers and crew, not over 10% or half the ship.

 

The sticky solution used on the tables in the Windjammer requires 10 minutes of contact time to kill the virus. Anything that requires less contact time is not safe for application without personal protective gear, which is the stuff they use at night when things are shut down.

 

Removal of multi-user condiments is common in remediation efforts, to be replaced with single use packets.

 

The reason that older drink machines did not allow refilling was because you used the glass to depress the dispensing lever, and this could come in contact with the portion of the glass that your mouth touched. The freestyle machines are the "non-contact" type of dispensers, where you push a button to dispense, and the glass doesn't have to touch anything other than the platform it sits on. While you are touching buttons touched by others, this is a less direct method of transmission than to the lip area of the glass, and can be mitigated using a knuckle to push the button.

 

The crew in "hazmat" suits are applying a fogging agent that has less contact time required than the solution they wash the tables with, and has a persistency on both hard and soft surfaces. Typically, during an outbreak like this, if you go out in the hallways around 2-3am, they will be fogging there as well, wearing respirators with the ventilation shut down as they go through each zone. All public spaces will get fogged, and this works on items like poker chips and menus. Laundry from cabins infected or suspected of infection will get "red bagged" and washed separately in machines set up to use higher temperatures and more bleach. Cabins of infected passengers will get an additional fogging during turn-around.

 

Even given the upper number of 150, when you add in crew, you will be below the 3% reporting level. At 2% a daily report goes to CDC, and usually by this stage the ship has been swinging into remediation mode for a few days.

 

I always look for your posts because they provide excellent, informative, trustworthy information.

Thank you.

Edited March 30, 2015 by beachnative

[chengkp75]

Question for Quantum cruisers. Has RCI installed handwash stations at the buffet entrance? I know HAL has on some of their ships, and this is becoming a USPH requirement for new ships, just wondering if it has hit Quantum, and whether people are using it. As part of the "washy-washy", I really wish they would put trash cans, and provide paper towels to wipe off the sanitizer (along with the virus and bacteria), since the sanitizer does nothing other than to loosen the virus, much like soap, and since you can't rinse (no sink), at least wiping on a disposable towel would do a better job.

[Catcat222]

Question for Quantum cruisers. Has RCI installed handwash stations at the buffet entrance? I know HAL has on some of their ships, and this is becoming a USPH requirement for new ships, just wondering if it has hit Quantum, and whether people are using it. As part of the "washy-washy", I really wish they would put trash cans, and provide paper towels to wipe off the sanitizer (along with the virus and bacteria), since the sanitizer does nothing other than to loosen the virus, much like soap, and since you can't rinse (no sink), at least wiping on a disposable towel would do a better job.

 

 

We were on the March 13 sailing. At Windjammer (buffet), they have handwash sink stations at both sides of the entrance. There are "washy-washy" staff asking people to wash hands. A few days into the sailing, they also put up a couple purell machines there. People get to choose to do purell or do an actual wash.

 

At the back entrance of the Windjammer, there is a lonely single sink outside. No one armed that area though.

 

People generally comply with doing the actual wash. (There was no out-break during that cruise.)

[chengkp75]

We were on the March 13 sailing. At Windjammer (buffet), they have handwash sink stations at both sides of the entrance. There are "washy-washy" staff asking people to wash hands. A few days into the sailing, they also put up a couple purell machines there. People get to choose to do purell or do an actual wash.

 

At the back entrance of the Windjammer, there is a lonely single sink outside. No one armed that area though.

 

People generally comply with doing the actual wash. (There was no out-break during that cruise.)

 

Thanks. Are these the actual sink, towel, and trash can type, or the "stick your hand in the bowl" wash/rinse/dry turbo types?

[Catcat222]

Thanks. Are these the actual sink, towel, and trash can type, or the "stick your hand in the bowl" wash/rinse/dry turbo types?

 

They are actual sinks (sensor for water, press for soap, paper towel, trash can).

[NYGirl1002]

I was on last week's cruise and I can honestly say that it was not half the ship that had noro. It was more like anywhere from 50 cases to 200.

[waterbabe40]

I am also just off the 3/21 sailing. One of the major improvements are actual wash basins in areas like the Windjammer entrance, ice cream station, Diamond and Concierge lounges. They make you watch a video on hand washing (wash at least 20 seconds) at the muster drill. By the end of our trip, monitors would not let you pass into the Windjammer without washing. I like that better than the Purell anyway. Other venues, insisted you Purell like the casino and other restaurants. I never touch railings and push elevator buttons with my elbow. Thankfully, we avoided Noro but DH woke up with a cold.