Glimmer of hope?

[Pratique]

The "mission" of the CDC has been subject to the interpretation of many others within the executive branch. Furthermore, the CDC is currently being led by someone with no prior civil service or public health experience, and some members of Congress raised concerns about his appointment long before this pandemic. However, his credentials as a virologist appear solid and perhaps he has a particular focus on what the cruise lines need to do that have not been publicly communicated.

 

Expect the CDC to extend the no sail order again next week before it is set to expire. As before, the order will likely be accompanied by the CDC's rationale for the extension. Maybe we'll gain some more insight from it. Lately we've only heard the industry's side of the story and we have not seen their revised response plan yet that I'm aware of.

[twangster]

3 hours ago, compman9 said:

The cruise company CEOs have all pleaded to re-start after October 31st

 

You mean those CEOs of foreign non-U.S. corporations?

 

I wonder how much lobbying power foreign companies have with U.S. agencies overseeing public health of the U.S.A.?  I suspect not much.  

Edited September 14, 2020 by twangster

[Billy Baltic]

44 minutes ago, cltnccruisers said:

Company CEO Albert Bourla has said it is “likely” the US will get a coronavirus vaccine treatment to the public before the end of the year.

“I cannot say what the FDA will do,” Bourla said. “But I think it’s a likely scenario, and we are preparing for it.”

That scenario includes distributing “hundreds of thousands of doses.”

 

I doubt distribution would be widespread enough to impact cruising much before June, 2021.  But I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed.  Then there's the whole question of effectiveness........

Further to that .... 

 

“Earlier this month, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a draft proposal for distributing a vaccine in the U.S. if and when one is approved for public use. The report was requested by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vaccine would be distributed in four phases, with health-care workers, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions getting vaccinated first, according to the group. Essential workers, teachers and people in homeless shelters as well as people in prisons would be next on the list, followed by children and young adults.”

 

[twangster]

1 minute ago, Billy Baltic said:

The vaccine would be distributed in four phases, with health-care workers, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions getting vaccinated first, according to the group. Essential workers, teachers and people in homeless shelters as well as people in prisons would be next on the list, followed by children and young adults.”

 

Followed by healthy people who want to go on vacation in a foreign country somewhere way down the list.  

[Billy Baltic]

Just now, twangster said:

 

Followed by healthy people who want to go on vacation in a foreign country somewhere way down the list.  

Maybe we’re back to the topic of over 65 cruises 😎

[twangster]

4 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

Maybe we’re back to the topic of over 65 cruises 😎

 

I think my best shot at getting a vaccine early is to become homeless.   "The Homeless Cruiser" - sounds like a great name for a YouTube channel.   

[sandebeach]

15 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

I think my best shot at getting a vaccine early is to become homeless.   "The Homeless Cruiser" - sounds like a great name for a YouTube channel.   

Twangster gets the Award for Best Post Today!

[twangster]

It just occurred to me if a vaccine is required to cruise AND the vaccine is distributed using the priority listed above, early cruising will consist of :

 

• Health care workers and first responders (who probably can't get time off)
• People with underlying conditions (who probably shouldn't be cruising during a pandemic even with a vaccine)
• Teachers (who can't get time off except in the summer)
• Homeless
• Prison inmates
• Kids without their parents (since the parents won't qualify for the vaccine)

 

So really the homeless, prison inmates and kids without parent - exactly the crowd I like to cruise with!

 

Sounds like a blast, sorry I'll miss it.  

[Crazy planning mom]

4 minutes ago, twangster said:

It just occurred to me if a vaccine is required to cruise AND the vaccine is distributed using the priority listed above, early cruising will consist of :

 

• Health care workers and first responders (who probably can't get time off)
• People with underlying conditions (who probably shouldn't be cruising during a pandemic even with a vaccine)
• Teachers (who can't get time off except in the summer)
• Homeless
• Prison inmates
• Kids without their parents (since the parents won't qualify for the vaccine)

 

So really the homeless, prison inmates and kids without parent - exactly the crowd I like to cruise with!

 

Sounds like a blast, sorry I'll miss it.  

Teachers also have time off from work usually in the spring for Easter.  I would be happy to cruise with nurses and teachers.

Realistically, the homeless and prison inmates wouldnt be cruising.

[twangster]

9 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Teachers also have time off from work usually in the spring for Easter.  I would be happy to cruise with nurses and teachers.

Realistically, the homeless and prison inmates wouldnt be cruising.

 

A teacher can cruise without their spouse unless their spouse also qualifies for the vaccine.  So who cruises after spring break?  Plus some essential workers have been told not to vacation outside the country or face a 14 day quarantine requirement upon returning.  

 

I'd be happy to cruise with teachers and nurses except I don't qualify as an early recipient for the vaccine.  I live with a teacher.  She would have to cruise without me.  Maybe she would like that 😉 

 

I guess that's one way to get the number of cruisers way down.  

Edited September 14, 2020 by twangster

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, kruzinkel said:

I have been reading some posts on the MSC board regarding their recent sailings out of Italy.  It seems to me that the precautions put in place make sense and still allow some sort of "normal" cruise.

If these are the sorts of precautions and policies that RC is able to put in place, I can certainly abide by them and have just a spark of hope regarding my Nov 5 Indy cruise and certainly my April Harmony transatlantic

Nov 5 of what year?

 

In all seriousness, as others have mentioned, the difference is the CDC.  MSC's sailings do not have to abide by CSC directives.  I'd say the chances of a Nov 5 cruise from the US is pretty close to zero.  That's a little over a month and a half from now.  Have the major cruise lines even started bringing crew back in significant numbers?  Just that process will take a while.

[cltnccruisers]

... the elderly and people with underlying health conditions getting vaccinated first...

 

Based on the cruises we've been on that could cover close to 74% of passengers - including us.  I doubt we'll be good to go for our Feb 2021cruise but the Aug 2021 to the ABCs is more of a good shot.  Trying to keep the glass half full.

[BND]

1 hour ago, Pratique said:

The "mission" of the CDC has been subject to the interpretation of many others within the executive branch. Furthermore, the CDC is currently being led by someone with no prior civil service or public health experience, and some members of Congress raised concerns about his appointment long before this pandemic. However, his credentials as a virologist appear solid and perhaps he has a particular focus on what the cruise lines need to do that have not been publicly communicated.

 

Expect the CDC to extend the no sail order again next week before it is set to expire. As before, the order will likely be accompanied by the CDC's rationale for the extension. Maybe we'll gain some more insight from it. Lately we've only heard the industry's side of the story and we have not seen their revised response plan yet that I'm aware of.

The head of the CDC doesn't do the research or make decisions inside a bubble.  His job is mainly management as are the heads of almost all the Federal Agencies and Offices.  I've worked with enough political appointees over the years to know how it works.  It is different than private industry.  And, as you've said, he has experience as a virologist.  The heads of agencies/offices work with information that comes up through the ranks.  You don't need prior civil service or public health experience to do that type of job.  There are tons of teams and briefings and data and experts that come up with the decision papers that are then signed off on by the top.  The types of things you  need to know as a civil servant or in public health involve HR and knowing the laws more than anything else.  The CDC is working within their own regulations and not everyone is going to like it.  Is there red tape?  Absolutely, as there is at every Gov agency, but it's all part of the oversight in place which Congress knows.

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

A teacher can cruise without their spouse unless their spouse also qualifies for the vaccine.  So who cruises after spring break?  Plus some essential workers have been told not to vacation outside the country or face a 14 day quarantine requirement upon returning.  

 

I'd be happy to cruise with teachers and nurses except I don't qualify as an early recipient for the vaccine.  I live with a teacher.  She would have to cruise without me.  Maybe she would like that 😉 

 

I guess that's one way to get the number of cruisers way down.  

Hopeful, the vaccine will be distributed before summertime.   As soon as regular folks can get it, I will be in line.

Just got my flu shot.

[Pratique]

51 minutes ago, BND said:

The heads of agencies/offices work with information that comes up through the ranks.  You don't need prior civil service or public health experience to do that type of job.

With due respect, that's exactly why you need that kind of experience, because it's managerial in the public sector and not technical. IMHO Anne Schuchat was already in the post, had decades of experience at CDC, and would have been a better candidate for a permanent appointment as director than Redfield. But that is neither here nor there - the CDC has lost some of the respect it previously had as a world-class public health agency under Redfield's leadership, whether that is attributable to him or others.

[TheMastodon]

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/09/14/pitt-scientists-discover-biomolecule-that-may-neutralize-coronavirus/
 

ah but CNN isn’t reporting about this.  can’t be true

 

all negative , nothing positive.

[time4u2go]

27 minutes ago, TheMastodon said:

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/09/14/pitt-scientists-discover-biomolecule-that-may-neutralize-coronavirus/
 

ah but CNN isn’t reporting about this.  can’t be true

 

all negative , nothing positive.

To be fair, none of the major networks (including Fox) are reporting it right now.

[bouhunter]

3 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

 

Realistically, the homeless and prison inmates wouldnt be cruising.

It was a joke......

[yogimax]

1 hour ago, time4u2go said:

To be fair, none of the major networks (including Fox) are reporting it right now.

Right now it's wishful thinking, nothing more!

[Biker19]

.

Edited September 15, 2020 by Biker19

[cltnccruisers]

21 hours ago, time4u2go said:

To be fair, none of the major networks (including Fox) are reporting it right now.

I saw this earlier this afternoon on both Fox and MSNBC.  I just caught snippets but what interested me was that it would allow for a causal differentiation between COVID-19 and seasonal flu deaths. 

[BND]

Disney cruise line has cancelled all cruises til Dec 6 so that pretty much takes care of that glimmer.  Not surprising at all and I expect others to follow soon.

[cltnccruisers]

10 minutes ago, BND said:

Disney cruise line has cancelled all cruises til Dec 6 so that pretty much takes care of that glimmer.  Not surprising at all and I expect others to follow soon.

So does Disney have early warning on the CDC extending the no-sail order or do they just not think they could be ready until 12/6 regardless?  

[rbell]

22 hours ago, TheMastodon said:

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/09/14/pitt-scientists-discover-biomolecule-that-may-neutralize-coronavirus/
 

ah but CNN isn’t reporting about this.  can’t be true

 

all negative , nothing positive.

You really need to get a life!much more to life then politics.

[BND]

14 minutes ago, cltnccruisers said:

So does Disney have early warning on the CDC extending the no-sail order or do they just not think they could be ready until 12/6 regardless?  

Who knows, but it is very telling.