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Anthem- testing 12 Chinese nationals who are onboard


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Just now, yerdsyerds said:

Fair enough on the first one.  It's an educated guess based on my 30+ years in Pathology and having worked on other outbreaks in conjunction with the CDC.  Local hospitals do have the kits, I just called a friend who runs the lab that does PCR testing at a major NNJ hospital and they do indeed have it.  On the incubation period, and knowing how PCR testing works, I'd say educated opinion, not assumption.

 

I have a question for you. The 273 test kits which were run on the Diamond Princess passengers are still not totally complete (3 days later). Do you have an educated guess why its taking so long? 

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Just now, kathy49 said:

I THINK if it is a "nothing burger" they would be eager to reassure their passengers and the public...news reports still say the passengers are being assessed.

 

News reports also said the cruise was coming from the Bahamas (which it wasn't). The media enjoys creating headlines because it gets them views and clicks.

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1 minute ago, yerdsyerds said:

Fair enough on the first one.  It's an educated guess based on my 30+ years in Pathology and having worked on other outbreaks in conjunction with the CDC.  Local hospitals do have the kits, I just called a friend who runs the lab that does PCR testing at a major NNJ hospital and they do indeed have it.  On the incubation period, and knowing how PCR testing works, I'd say educated opinion, not assumption.

 

Thanks for clarifying. I think the 'nothing burger' comment rubbed me the wrong way. My daughter is an ER nurse and is following this closely as well. My concern is that we aren't taking it seriously enough, just like the flu that kills so many. This could blow up if a series of mistakes are made. That is an assumption and I own it. I hope I am wrong.

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Departure now officially delayed until tomorrow

 

Dear Guest,

You may have been watching the news and have some concerns about today’s sailing. We appreciate the CDC’s abundance of caution and their partnership.

None of the four guests being tested by CDC showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus. One had tested positive onboard for Influenza A. Our records indicate the guests had not been in China since January 26 - 14 days ago. 

We have also been cleared by authorities to depart, as usual. However, to reassure concerned guests, we will delay our departure until tomorrow, when we will receive the conclusive test results from CDC.

We know that you may be anxious about boarding the ship today - we’re anxious too! So, we’ve decided to push our boarding to tomorrow, February 8th, 2020, at 1:00 PM EST, while we wait for the results from the CDC.

We’re also currently working on making adjustments to our itinerary, since we’re starting a day later than planned. We will confirm the details as soon as possible.

Given that we have shortened the sailing, you’ll receive a 1-day refund in the form of an onboard credit for the day missed, plus a pro-rated credit, if you pre-purchased any packages such as, beverage, internet, or dining. Both credits will be added to your Onboard Account and once you’re onboard, you can use these credits anywhere onboard.

Please also take a minute to review our screening and boarding protocols. We have been working with medical experts, public health authorities, and local governments, and in alignment with new stricter CDC protocols, we are tightening our measures to protect guests and crew. These steps are intentionally conservative, and we apologize that they will inconvenience some of our guests.

Until further notice, all ships in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. fleet will adopt these health screening protocols:

 

  1. Regardless of nationality, any guest or crewmember traveling from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships.
  2. Any guests holding a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport, regardless of when they were there last, will not be allowed to board our ships.
  3. Any guest or crewmember that has been in contact (which the CDC defines as 6 feet or 2 meters) with someone that has traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less than 15 days.           
  4. Additionally, there will be mandatory specialized health screenings performed on:
    • Guests who are unsure if they have been in contact with individuals who have traveled from, to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days;
    • Guests who report feeling unwell or demonstrate any flu-like symptoms;
    • Any guest presenting with fever or low blood oximetry in the specialized health screening will be denied boarding.

 

If you or someone in your stateroom has traveled or been in close contact with someone that has traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau within 15 days of sailing departure, or is a passport holder of China, Hong Kong, or Macau, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately, or contact us at 1-800-256-6649 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

We take this very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment onboard our ships, as well as in the ports we visit.

Onboard our ships, we continue to take numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards. This includes:

 

  • Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing,
  • Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day,
  • Adding extra medical staff on each sailing, 
  • Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew,  
  • Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard.

 

We are committed to giving you an update every hour on the hour, starting at noon EST. Please go to www.RoyalCaribbean.com/AnthemUpdates for our updates. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we ensure your safety and wellbeing.

Sincerely,

 

Image did not load.

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1 minute ago, coaster said:

A joint news conference with local officials, CDC and representatives from Royal would help to stop rumors and speculation.

Post#233 Clarifies the situation and should quell the hysteria on this thread, but alas it is cruise critic so that won't happen.

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4 minutes ago, jpurdy said:

 

Thanks for clarifying. I think the 'nothing burger' comment rubbed me the wrong way. My daughter is an ER nurse and is following this closely as well. My concern is that we aren't taking it seriously enough, just like the flu that kills so many. This could blow up if a series of mistakes are made. That is an assumption and I own it. I hope I am wrong.

No problem!  My son is also an ER nurse in NNJ.  And you are right, I should have phrased my thoughts on the issue being overblown more carefully.

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4 hours ago, mlmc424 said:

We got the email.  We are driving up so it’s easy to adjust our schedule.  Just a bit unsettling though.  Also hearing nasty wind forecasts for offshore tonight 😟

 

Saw something about wind gusts to about 50 mph.  You might want to stay indoors.

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10 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Any guest or crewmember that has been in contact (which the CDC defines as 6 feet or 2 meters) with someone that has traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less than 15 days.          

Item #3 seems incomplete.  I'm assuming they will be denied boarding, disembarked, or undergo additional screening.

Edited by soremekun
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Medical Lab Scientist checking in! The test requires a specialized analyzer and certified testing personnel. It appears the kits have been distributed to state health labs and limited hospitals. It's not a blood test, it's a nasal swab. The actual test takes about 2 hours depending on several factors. Just wanted to chime in because I saw a lot of people talking about test kits onboard, but it's highly unlikely they're testing onboard.

 

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-significant-step-coronavirus-response-efforts-issues-emergency-use-authorization-first

 

eta: To answer why the tests have been delayed on the Diamond Princess- ?? Who knows. Maybe they have the results and aren't sharing them.

Edited by FishLips23
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This is so concerning:

 

" None of the four guests being tested by CDC showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus. "

 

And people may not show symptoms right away.  Releasing the passengers before a negative test is just downright irresponsible, IMHO.

 

2019-nCOV is only identified through Nasal and throat swabs and does not come up like Rapid Strep or Influenza right away.

 

 

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17 minutes ago, coaster said:

A joint news conference with local officials, CDC and representatives from Royal would help to stop rumors and speculation.

Agree completely.... letter posted on anther thread...by RCL says that one of the passengers who was ill had been tested and found to have influenza A, so this... while not 100%... does help explain why CDC felt there was a low risk.. Would have been nice if this information was known earlier.... It appears this case is more like the Costa ship in Italy than the Diamond Princess. 

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They are probably testing because of travel history out of an abundance of caution. I'd bet they didn't have "enough" reason to quarantine 4000 passengers. The report that came out last week stating someone had spread the virus without showing symptoms was revised. 

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27 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Departure now officially delayed until tomorrow

 

Dear Guest,

You may have been watching the news and have some concerns about today’s sailing. We appreciate the CDC’s abundance of caution and their partnership.

None of the four guests being tested by CDC showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus. One had tested positive onboard for Influenza A. Our records indicate the guests had not been in China since January 26 - 14 days ago. 

We have also been cleared by authorities to depart, as usual. However, to reassure concerned guests, we will delay our departure until tomorrow, when we will receive the conclusive test results from CDC.

We know that you may be anxious about boarding the ship today - we’re anxious too! So, we’ve decided to push our boarding to tomorrow, February 8th, 2020, at 1:00 PM EST, while we wait for the results from the CDC.

We’re also currently working on making adjustments to our itinerary, since we’re starting a day later than planned. We will confirm the details as soon as possible.

Given that we have shortened the sailing, you’ll receive a 1-day refund in the form of an onboard credit for the day missed, plus a pro-rated credit, if you pre-purchased any packages such as, beverage, internet, or dining. Both credits will be added to your Onboard Account and once you’re onboard, you can use these credits anywhere onboard.

Please also take a minute to review our screening and boarding protocols. We have been working with medical experts, public health authorities, and local governments, and in alignment with new stricter CDC protocols, we are tightening our measures to protect guests and crew. These steps are intentionally conservative, and we apologize that they will inconvenience some of our guests.

Until further notice, all ships in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. fleet will adopt these health screening protocols:

 

  1. Regardless of nationality, any guest or crewmember traveling from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships.
  2. Any guests holding a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport, regardless of when they were there last, will not be allowed to board our ships.
  3. Any guest or crewmember that has been in contact (which the CDC defines as 6 feet or 2 meters) with someone that has traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau less than 15 days.           
  4. Additionally, there will be mandatory specialized health screenings performed on:
    • Guests who are unsure if they have been in contact with individuals who have traveled from, to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days;
    • Guests who report feeling unwell or demonstrate any flu-like symptoms;
    • Any guest presenting with fever or low blood oximetry in the specialized health screening will be denied boarding.

 

If you or someone in your stateroom has traveled or been in close contact with someone that has traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau within 15 days of sailing departure, or is a passport holder of China, Hong Kong, or Macau, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately, or contact us at 1-800-256-6649 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

We take this very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment onboard our ships, as well as in the ports we visit.

Onboard our ships, we continue to take numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards. This includes:

 

  • Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing,
  • Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day,
  • Adding extra medical staff on each sailing, 
  • Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew,  
  • Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard.

 

We are committed to giving you an update every hour on the hour, starting at noon EST. Please go to www.RoyalCaribbean.com/AnthemUpdates for our updates. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we ensure your safety and wellbeing.

Sincerely,

 

Image did not load.

 

Crap now it says Any guests holding a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport, regardless of when they were there last, will not be allowed to board our ships. Before it said will go through intensive screening. I hold a Chinese passport and a U.S. green card. Haven't been back to China in 13 years, I live in Texas. We will sail Brilliance and Harmony next month,  what the heck!!!

Edited by Jzx1103
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3 minutes ago, Jzx1103 said:

 

Crap now it says Any guests holding a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport, regardless of when they were there last, will not be allowed to board our ships. Before it said will go through intensive screening. I hold a Chinese passport and a U.S. green card. Haven't been back to China in 13 years, I live in Texas. We will sail Brillianceand Hff Harmony next month,  what the heck!!!

I would call about that one.  Doesn't seem fair at all.

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So do you read this as the 4 are still hospitalized and being watched?

 

11:31 AM EST, 02/07/2020 (MT Newswires) -- Four cruise ship passengers were hospitalized out of 27 who were screened in total, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday.

 

The passengers were on Royal Caribbean's (RCL) Anthem of the Seas cruise ship, according to media reports. The four were taken to the Newark's University Hospital, where isolation rooms are available, NBC News reported.

According to NBC, 23 Chinese nationals were screened after getting off the cruise but tested negative and are on their way back to China. None of the 27 Chinese passengers are from Wuhan, the report said.

 

In a statement released Friday, Murphy said that the hospital is following protocols on infectious diseases and that there have been no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the state.

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3 hours ago, kathy49 said:

why are cruise lines boarding people from mainland China?????

I am on the Liberty March 1st. It departs from Galveston to western Caribbean. We received an email from RCCI which enclosed a letter. No one who traveled to that region within 14 days OR possesses a Chinese/Hong Passport , will be allowed to board.

I pray they won’t cancel our trip, because my job will not let me have time off again for 1 year. 

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4 hours ago, rbschultz said:

The only actual articles I can find on the origins is that the sickness may have originated in bats, but that "bat soup" is just a rumor/myth that has spun out of control. Believe what you'd like, it won't cure the illness.

The real issue is likely the live markets in general. Especially live markets with wild game. Not specificly the eating of the animals themselves.

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