Celebrity Eclipse exposed passengers to Covid19

[Jaxweb]

So, still no statement from Celebrity or local government officials on how or why the passenger with symptoms was not reported until after the hospital published the results of the COVID-19 test?

[mchell810]

1 hour ago, RuthieC62 said:

We’ve just flown back to Australia. I developed fairly mild cold like symptoms a day day or so before we disembarked but didn’t worry about it as we’d been isolated for 17 days with no illness on board or so we believed. However I read the email from Celebrity when we landed in Sydney so declared my symptoms when we were screened at the airport (many people off our flight didn’t declare even though they had similar symptoms) I was immediately isolated into a hotel in a separate room from my husband. Today my test results have come back as positive for Covid-19 (my husband doesn’t have his results yet). So please, if anyone has any even minor symptoms please get tested. I feel very misled by Celebrity!

 

I am glad you were able to get tested.  In much of the USA even with those symptoms you would be told to isolate at home, but NOT test for Covid-19.  Arizona's top health official has told health providers not test most people.

 

Stay well

 

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/providers-told-to-discourage-covid-19-testing-for-most-patients-in-arizona

 

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/coronavirus-arizona-aviation-man-tried-to-get-tested-died-11460804

Edited April 2, 2020 by mchell810

[El turista]

1 hour ago, RuthieC62 said:

We’ve just flown back to Australia. I developed fairly mild cold like symptoms a day day or so before we disembarked but didn’t worry about it as we’d been isolated for 17 days with no illness on board or so we believed. However I read the email from Celebrity when we landed in Sydney so declared my symptoms when we were screened at the airport (many people off our flight didn’t declare even though they had similar symptoms) I was immediately isolated into a hotel in a separate room from my husband. Today my test results have come back as positive for Covid-19 (my husband doesn’t have his results yet). So please, if anyone has any even minor symptoms please get tested. I feel very misled by Celebrity!

 

So sorry to hear this. Hope you'll recover soon. You're lucky to get tested. I called my health insurance provider and after I said to them I was potentially exposed in the cruise ship they think I'm not eligible for testing yet. I don't know how bad symptoms need to be if I develop them in order to get tested. I've been self-isolating since I arrived on Monday night. The entire ordeal at the ship was stressful and I didn't think it would continue. These next 12 days are going to drive me insane. I'm never cruising again.   

[karlsselindh]

The 4 p.m. local news on Channel 7 showed the Eclipse still in San Diego.  The reporter interviewed a passenger from Colombia still on the ship via phone.   The passenger said that they were not allowed to get off the ship even though they had a visitor's visa for the U.S.  He also said the ship would not be going to Acapulco, that the remaining passengers were from Central/South America, that their borders were closed, and they had nowhere to go.  They were trying to negotiate disembarking in San Diego and immediately going into quarantine here, and then trying to return home later.

[ddr]

Here is the latest local news this evening about the South American passengers:

 

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/more-than-100-passengers-stuck-on-the-celebrity-eclipse/2297744/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_knsd_eml_shr

 

 

[TeaBag]

Wow, I feel so sorry for these people.  This was what we worried about all the way to San Diego.  So glad to be home and so far symptom free.

[Pushka]

2 hours ago, RuthieC62 said:

We’ve just flown back to Australia. I developed fairly mild cold like symptoms a day day or so before we disembarked but didn’t worry about it as we’d been isolated for 17 days with no illness on board or so we believed. However I read the email from Celebrity when we landed in Sydney so declared my symptoms when we were screened at the airport (many people off our flight didn’t declare even though they had similar symptoms) I was immediately isolated into a hotel in a separate room from my husband. Today my test results have come back as positive for Covid-19 (my husband doesn’t have his results yet). So please, if anyone has any even minor symptoms please get tested. I feel very misled by Celebrity!

Im so sorry to hear that. No doubt we will hear about it in the media. From last Saturday, everyone arriving into Australia is being put up at a hotel for 14 days so all suspects will be tested. Best wishes. 

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, mchell810 said:

 

I am glad you were able to get tested.  In much of the USA even with those symptoms you would be told to isolate at home, but NOT test for Covid-19.  Arizona's top health official has told health providers not test most people.

 

Stay well

 

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/providers-told-to-discourage-covid-19-testing-for-most-patients-in-arizona

 

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/coronavirus-arizona-aviation-man-tried-to-get-tested-died-11460804

 

Australia now puts everyone arriving internationally into a quarantine hotel for 14 days. All the Australians will get tested. The results will be interesting and made publically known here. 

[RuthieC62]

3 minutes ago, Pushka said:

 

Australia now puts everyone arriving internationally into a quarantine hotel for 14 days. All the Australians will get tested. The results will be interesting and made publically known here. 

Just to clarify. Everyone returning from overseas is quarantined in a hotel for 14 days but only those who declare symptoms (as we did) are actually tested. Don’t know whether they will decide to test everyone in Australia who came off the eclipse but at the moment they are not.

[Pushka]

7 minutes ago, RuthieC62 said:

Just to clarify. Everyone returning from overseas is quarantined in a hotel for 14 days but only those who declare symptoms (as we did) are actually tested. Don’t know whether they will decide to test everyone in Australia who came off the eclipse but at the moment they are not.

Ah, that's interesting. I hope they connect the dots and test all cruise passengers then. Not sure if you know about Ruby Princess in Sydney last week but it's been awful with over 400 passengers here in Oz being positive and sadly poor outcomes. 

[TeaBag]

4 hours ago, Kartgv said:

 

I think everyone sympathizes with the stress on the passengers and crew and we're all glad you're home.  We're just not happy with Celebrity's lack of transparency and misleading statements that caused unnecessary risk to non-passengers.   It sounds like you did everything you could do to reduce the risk to others and we wish you a restful and healthy 2 week recovery period at home.   If I believed that every departing passenger was as careful as you were, I'd feel better, but as we've all seen lately there are too many people who are totally clueless or feel too 'entitled' to obey the rules.    

It does sound like Celebrity treated the passengers well...all except for that one tiny detail, leaving out the information about the ill passenger and crew.    

Thank you for your kind words.  I'm a retired Lab Tech, so to ignore the pathogenicity and contagiousness of this virus would be downright irresponsible of me. 

[Blackduck59]

Man, I commented on this on another thread...Just when you thought they got it right. There have been lively discussions on several thread on the Australia/New Zealand board about ships disembarking passengers too early. They have the whole Ruby Princess mess. I do not condone the deception but I can understand why the Captain didn't want to know if anyone had symptoms. He knew full well that he would not be able to disembark the passengers and instead of being safely at home right now all be it isolated you would all be doing the Diamond Princess routine just waiting to catch it. So be happy you are home do your self isolation as required in Canada and Australia and be thankful your 2 week cruise that ended up being 30 days is not ongoing like Zaandam is.

Be well everyone and take care. Home is good.

[The_Big_M]

16 hours ago, clarky213 said:

I am not sure why only the cruise industry is being slated worldwide. Airlines are still flying all over the world. 

Are they testing people as they dis-embark aircraft and telling them to self-isolate as a precaution?

 

Without a shutdown of airlines , Except to repatriate people back to their own countries, we will not stop the spread.

 

That's incorrect. Most airlines around the world have shut down, at least in part and some wholly. 

 

It's exceptions like this ship and its bad handling that are causing the spread.

Edited April 2, 2020 by The_Big_M

[clarky213]

1 hour ago, The_Big_M said:

 

That's incorrect. Most airlines around the world have shut down, at least in part and some wholly. 

 

It's exceptions like this ship and its bad handling that are causing the spread.

 

Just as an example, I looked at Orlando airport arrivals for today and there are numerous flights from New York arriving today.

Also flights from all over US.

 

As New york has the biggest number of Covid 19 Cases, do you really want flights from there arriving in Florida or anywhere else in US with low numbers of infections.. Remember, the US banned flights from all Europe when you had a small number of cases.

This is what is causing the spread, not 1 Cruise ship.

 

[barbette165]

Clarky - Not defending air travel in the least. I decided early February that I wouldn't get on a plane for the time being. I think the difference between planes and cruises is the instantly observable impact. This probably isn't a perfect analogy, but a flight could be compared to putting 199 good apples and 1 bad apple in a barrel, and then leaving them pretty still for perhaps 5 hours. At the end, you'd have 1 bad apple and 199 apparently good apples. On a cruise you put 1999 good apples and 1 bad apple in a (bigger) barrel. You then spend the next 7 days continually re-positioning them all. After 7 days, you'd have a lot more bad apples.

 

[The_Big_M]

3 hours ago, clarky213 said:

 

Just as an example, I looked at Orlando airport arrivals for today and there are numerous flights from New York arriving today.

Also flights from all over US.

 

As New york has the biggest number of Covid 19 Cases, do you really want flights from there arriving in Florida or anywhere else in US with low numbers of infections.. Remember, the US banned flights from all Europe when you had a small number of cases.

This is what is causing the spread, not 1 Cruise ship.

 

 

Yes, I'm aware domestic US flights are still operating, but that isn't proof of "Airlines are still flying all over the world. " which is not true.

 

And if you think New York is the only state with issues in the US and can be contained you have another thing coming. Are you aware Florida finally enacted a lockdown today? They didn't do that just because there might be people from New York sneaking in...

[hvbaskey]

10 hours ago, RuthieC62 said:

We’ve just flown back to Australia. I developed fairly mild cold like symptoms a day day or so before we disembarked but didn’t worry about it as we’d been isolated for 17 days with no illness on board or so we believed. However I read the email from Celebrity when we landed in Sydney so declared my symptoms when we were screened at the airport (many people off our flight didn’t declare even though they had similar symptoms) I was immediately isolated into a hotel in a separate room from my husband. Today my test results have come back as positive for Covid-19 (my husband doesn’t have his results yet). So please, if anyone has any even minor symptoms please get tested. I feel very misled by Celebrity!

 

Thank you for being a socially responsible person who declared your symptoms at the airport.  This was incredibly thoughtful and responsible of you, as many (as we are seeing throughout the news / social media) are not.

It is quite unfortunate that you did test positive and now separated from your dear husband.  I wish you a very good recovery and that you are reunited soon.

[hvbaskey]

11 hours ago, Kartgv said:

 

I think everyone sympathizes with the stress on the passengers and crew and we're all glad you're home.  We're just not happy with Celebrity's lack of transparency and misleading statements that caused unnecessary risk to non-passengers.   It sounds like you did everything you could do to reduce the risk to others and we wish you a restful and healthy 2 week recovery period at home.   If I believed that every departing passenger was as careful as you were, I'd feel better, but as we've all seen lately there are too many people who are totally clueless or feel too 'entitled' to obey the rules.    

It does sound like Celebrity treated the passengers well...all except for that one tiny detail, leaving out the information about the ill passenger and crew.    

 

Ditto - everything mentioned here.

[TeeRick]

IMO there are three separate issues being discussed here and lots of sub-issues.  I'm not taking sides or defending anybody. So here goes:

1) What were the actions or possibly misleading actions of Celebrity in regard to the sick passenger and three crew members, including whether they suspected COVID-19, and docked anyway.  Did the ship actually report a suspected but non-confirmed case to San Diego health authorities and since it was non-confirmed they were  allowed to dock?  If so why did the San Diego health authorities allow disembarkation before a suspected case was tested?  Or was Celebrity purposefully deceitful?  Time and facts will answer this one.  None of us know.   

2) Did Celebrity deliberately mislead passengers and crew on the ship into thinking they were virus free?  Should they have assumed a suspected case given the worldwide pandemic and warned passengers on board to quarantine in cabins?  What about passenger rights? How many Eclipse passengers will become ill in the next several days (hopefully none- fingers crossed!)?  If so, did they acquire it on ship or later off-ship traveling home?

3) What is the actual risk and implications of unknowing, asymptomatic but virus-positive passengers from Eclipse infecting others in their travels or later at home?   This might be a controversial argument but this is exactly the same risk we all face going to a grocery store or boarding any flight or doing anything outside our homes right now.  Two or three or four or ten cases from a cruise ship at this point maybe contributes to the pandemic in a small way but has no overall major impact.  This is different from a month ago when it might have made a difference.  But the virus is out there already.  Most everybody is taking precautions.  It is not like every passenger and crew member (over 5000) will be asymptomatic virus-positive and be released unknowingly into a naive society.  But on a personal level- if one extra person gets sick and/or dies from this specific situation that could have been prevented, that is one person too many. 

Looking forward to your comments for this discussion.  Maybe no ranting if possible?

[LMaxwell]

7 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

IMO there are three separate issues being discussed here and lots of sub-issues.  I'm not taking sides or defending anybody. So here goes:

1) What were the actions or possibly misleading actions of Celebrity in regard to the sick passenger and three crew members, including whether they suspected COVID-19, and docked anyway.  Did the ship actually report a suspected but non-confirmed case to San Diego health authorities and since it was non-confirmed they were  allowed to dock?  If so why did the San Diego health authorities allow disembarkation before a suspected case was tested?  Or was Celebrity purposefully deceitful?  Time and facts will answer this one.  None of us know.   

2) Did Celebrity deliberately mislead passengers and crew on the ship into thinking they were virus free?  Should they have assumed a suspected case given the worldwide pandemic and warned passengers on board to quarantine in cabins?  What about passenger rights? How many Eclipse passengers will become ill in the next several days (hopefully none- fingers crossed!)?  If so, did they acquire it on ship or later off-ship traveling home?

3) What is the actual risk and implications of unknowing, asymptomatic but virus-positive passengers from Eclipse infecting others in their travels or later at home?   This might be a controversial argument but this is exactly the same risk we all face going to a grocery store or boarding any flight or doing anything outside our homes right now.  Two or three or four or ten cases from a cruise ship at this point maybe contributes to the pandemic in a small way but has no overall major impact.  This is different from a month ago when it might have made a difference.  But the virus is out there already.  Most everybody is taking precautions.  It is not like every passenger and crew member (over 5000) will be asymptomatic virus-positive and be released unknowingly into a naive society.  But on a personal level- if one extra person gets sick and/or dies from this specific situation that could have been prevented, that is one person too many. 

Looking forward to your comments for this discussion. 

 

1. It appears that Celebrity possibly went outside standard protocols for notification. 

 

2. My gut feeling is "Yes" 

 

3. Once they get people off the ship they can say "Didn't happen here" 

 

 

[hvbaskey]

21 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

IMO there are three separate issues being discussed here and lots of sub-issues.  I'm not taking sides or defending anybody. So here goes:

1) What were the actions or possibly misleading actions of Celebrity in regard to the sick passenger and three crew members, including whether they suspected COVID-19, and docked anyway.  Did the ship actually report a suspected but non-confirmed case to San Diego health authorities and since it was non-confirmed they were  allowed to dock?  If so why did the San Diego health authorities allow disembarkation before a suspected case was tested?  Or was Celebrity purposefully deceitful?  Time and facts will answer this one.  None of us know.   

2) Did Celebrity deliberately mislead passengers and crew on the ship into thinking they were virus free?  Should they have assumed a suspected case given the worldwide pandemic and warned passengers on board to quarantine in cabins?  What about passenger rights? How many Eclipse passengers will become ill in the next several days (hopefully none- fingers crossed!)?  If so, did they acquire it on ship or later off-ship traveling home?

3) What is the actual risk and implications of unknowing, asymptomatic but virus-positive passengers from Eclipse infecting others in their travels or later at home?   This might be a controversial argument but this is exactly the same risk we all face going to a grocery store or boarding any flight or doing anything outside our homes right now.  Two or three or four or ten cases from a cruise ship at this point maybe contributes to the pandemic in a small way but has no overall major impact.  This is different from a month ago when it might have made a difference.  But the virus is out there already.  Most everybody is taking precautions.  It is not like every passenger and crew member (over 5000) will be asymptomatic virus-positive and be released unknowingly into a naive society.  But on a personal level- if one extra person gets sick and/or dies from this specific situation that could have been prevented, that is one person too many. 

Looking forward to your comments for this discussion.  Maybe no ranting if possible?

 

1.  I do not believe they were “purposely deceitful” - I sure hope not anyways.  However, I just don’t think they were 100% transparent.

 

2.  This one is really hard for me to comment on.  One passenger was symptomatic (in my opinion) - “any” respiratory ailment in any form would be a huge flag.  Should extra precautions be taken?  IF I were a passenger, I would have hoped they would of.  
I was not personally on that cruise; so maybe they did?   Were buffets still open for self-serve, or did Celebrity Staff serve out the portions?  Were pools closed?  was physical distancing encouraged?  

3.  The risk is huge in my opinion - check out @RuthieC62 post where she was not feeling well (cold like symptoms) while she was on board, but as they were assured nothing was going on (COVID wise) - she didn’t suspect anything.   At the airport she declared how she was feeling and was tested and turned out to be positive.  How many others who felt off (but not full on set of symptoms) disembarked and returned home to go grocery shopping etc.    We would all hope that people are now socially responsible to stay home after a vacation, but that is I believe, overly optimistic.   

 

"Two or three or four or ten cases from a cruise ship at this point maybe contributes to the pandemic in a small way but has no overall major impact."

“One” person has the potential impact to infect thousands.   This has been case-studied by contact tracing and is fact.

Edited April 2, 2020 by hvbaskey

[NinaBlue22]

11 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

IMO there are three separate issues being discussed here and lots of sub-issues.  I'm not taking sides or defending anybody. So here goes:

1) What were the actions or possibly misleading actions of Celebrity in regard to the sick passenger and three crew members, including whether they suspected COVID-19, and docked anyway.  Did the ship actually report a suspected but non-confirmed case to San Diego health authorities and since it was non-confirmed they were  allowed to dock?  If so why did the San Diego health authorities allow disembarkation before a suspected case was tested?  Or was Celebrity purposefully deceitful?  Time and facts will answer this one.  None of us know.   

2) Did Celebrity deliberately mislead passengers and crew on the ship into thinking they were virus free?  Should they have assumed a suspected case given the worldwide pandemic and warned passengers on board to quarantine in cabins?  What about passenger rights? How many Eclipse passengers will become ill in the next several days (hopefully none- fingers crossed!)?  If so, did they acquire it on ship or later off-ship traveling home?

3) What is the actual risk and implications of unknowing, asymptomatic but virus-positive passengers from Eclipse infecting others in their travels or later at home?   This might be a controversial argument but this is exactly the same risk we all face going to a grocery store or boarding any flight or doing anything outside our homes right now.  Two or three or four or ten cases from a cruise ship at this point maybe contributes to the pandemic in a small way but has no overall major impact.  This is different from a month ago when it might have made a difference.  But the virus is out there already.  Most everybody is taking precautions.  It is not like every passenger and crew member (over 5000) will be asymptomatic virus-positive and be released unknowingly into a naive society.  But on a personal level- if one extra person gets sick and/or dies from this specific situation that could have been prevented, that is one person too many. 

Looking forward to your comments for this discussion.  Maybe no ranting if possible?

San Diego resident here.
 

The city has been doing daily COVID updates and I caught the one on the day the Eclipse was about to disembark. There was a doctor who spoke about the plans for the ship disembarking and he was very clear that the ship was healthy with no known issues.  So, either he blatantly lied during this taped update or he and the city of San Diego were not told about this sick passenger and crew..my bet is we were not told by Celebrity in order to let the ship dock 

[TeeRick]

1 minute ago, NinaBlue22 said:

San Diego resident here.
 

The city has been doing daily COVID updates and I caught the one on the day the Eclipse was about to disembark. There was a doctor who spoke about the plans for the ship disembarking and he was very clear that the ship was healthy with no known issues.  So, either he blatantly lied during this taped update or he and the city of San Diego were not told about this sick passenger and crew..my bet is we were not told by Celebrity in order to let the ship dock 

Thank you!  That is exactly the type of info (factual) that I am personally hoping to see here in the responses.  It will take a lot to piece together the facts on this.  

[Beachin2]

37 minutes ago, NinaBlue22 said:

San Diego resident here.
 

The city has been doing daily COVID updates and I caught the one on the day the Eclipse was about to disembark. There was a doctor who spoke about the plans for the ship disembarking and he was very clear that the ship was healthy with no known issues.  So, either he blatantly lied during this taped update or he and the city of San Diego were not told about this sick passenger and crew..my bet is we were not told by Celebrity in order to let the ship dock 

 

He may just have been parroting what the ship was repeatedly telling those of us aboard.  That was the terminology that was used in the announcements numerous times.  There was no room for misinterpretation.

 

Someone had asked, no - there were no extra precautions at the buffet.  Everything was self-serve right up to and including the morning we docked.  As usual, crew were wiping down everything - but I wouldn't say any more than "usual".

 

Pools were open - all business as usual.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Beachin2
added

[NinaBlue22]

30 minutes ago, Beachin2 said:

 

He may just have been parroting what the ship was repeatedly telling those of us aboard.  That was the terminology that was used in the announcements numerous times.  There was no room for misinterpretation.

 

Someone had asked, no - there were no extra precautions at the buffet.  Everything was self-serve right up to and including the morning we docked.  As usual, crew were wiping down everything - but I wouldn't say any more than "usual".

 

Pools were open - all business as usual.

I just don’t understand, did Celebrity not know about this sick passenger and crew members?