Royal Carribean releases healthy sailing policies

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Royal Caribbean have now releases some healthy sailing policies

 

You can read them on the Royal Caribbean Group website: https://www.royalcaribbeangroup.com/healthy-sailing/

 

Royal Caribbean blog: https://www.*****.com/2020/09/21/royal-caribbean-new-cruise-ship-health-protocols-include-wearing-masks-social-distancing have posted some highlights of the policies:

 

Royal Caribbean Group has submitted its new comprehensive list of new health protocols and policy changes to the CDC that it will implement on its cruise ships in order to restart cruises.

 

The Healthy Sail Panel announced on Monday 74 detailed steps that it believes will protect guests, crew members and the places the cruise ship visit from the spread of COVID-19.

 

The list of protocols is 65 pages long that include testing, the use of face coverings, and enhanced sanitation procedures on ships and in terminals.

 

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman Richard Fain said Royal Caribbean will use the Panel’s recommendations to inform the development of new, detailed operating protocols, which will be submitted to the CDC and other authorities around the globe for review and approval.

 

Here is a breakdown of the changes that are either going to be implemented in the short term and discontinuted over time, or kept for the foreseeable future.

 

Testing

 

1. All crew should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 between 5 days and 24 hours prior to leaving their home location to join the ship and receive a negative result, quarantine for seven days on board the ship upon arrival, and take a test at the end of that seven-day period and receive a negative result, before beginning their duties.

 

2. Cruise operators should implement a crew surveillance program, including periodic testing for SARS-CoV-2, to provide a reasonable level of assurance that the virus is not circulating among crew.

 

3. Other employees and ancillary staff (e.g., luggage porters and transportation providers) should undergo daily symptom screening but do not need to be regularly tested like crew or guests.

 

4. All guests joining a ship, regardless of method of travel to the ship, should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 between 5 days and 24 hours before boarding and receive a negative result that is shared with the cruise operator, before coming on board.

Health Screening

5. At embarkation, all guests and crew boarding the ship should undergo health screening to identify any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (or other infectious diseases) and any contact with individuals suspected or confirmed to have a SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to the cruise.

 

6. All individuals should have their temperature taken via contactless device as part of the boarding process.

 

7. Any individual who discloses symptoms of possible SARS-CoV-2 infection or close contact with an individual with suspected infection, or who displays a temperature of 100.4 degrees or above, should undergo secondary screening by medical personnel to determine whether they may board the ship or whether they will be denied boarding.

 

Denial of Boarding

 

8. Cruise operators should not allow an individual to sail if they do not affirmatively state their willingness to comply with current safety and public health protocols.

9. Individuals who have received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test or who have in the last 14 days been in close contact with an individual with confirmed infection should not be permitted to board the ship.

 

Policy on Guests at Increased Risk of Severe Illness

 

10. Cruise operators should rely on CDC guidelines to determine who is at an increased risk of severe illness and who may be at an increased risk of severe illness.

 

11. Cruise operators should recommend that guests who are or may be at increased risk of severe illness consult with their health care provider before traveling.

 

Guest Information & Education

 

12. In addition to the information typically communicated at booking, guests should be provided sufficient information on SARS-CoV-2 to assess their individual risk, to fully understand the safety precautions being taken by the cruise line to address SARS-CoV-2, and to agree to comply with the necessary safety protocols while traveling.

 

Onboard Symptom Tracking and Monitoring

 

13. Cruise operators should conduct once-daily temperature checks for guests and crew on board.

 

14. Cruise operators should employ routine symptom screening methodologies to help ensure that potential SARS-CoV-2 infections are identified as quickly as possible.

 

15. Cruise operators should ensure education efforts are in place to help guests understand the importance of reporting symptoms and potential repercussions of failure to report symptoms.

 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Usage

 

16. To prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, cruise operators should require guests and crew to wear cloth face coverings/face masks in accordance with CDC recommendations.

 

17. Crew members with prolonged contact (i.e., contact that may result in exposure by CDC’s definition) with guests on board the ship should be required to utilize complementary PPE, in addition to wearing a face mask/face covering.

 

Capacity Restrictions

 

18. When returning to sailing, cruise operators should adjust guest and crew load factors in a manner that allows for appropriate physical distancing on board in accordance with applicable guidance, taking into consideration the size and design of each ship.

 

General Distancing Guidelines

 

19. Cruise operators’ facilities on board the ship, at terminals, and at cruise line-owned and operated destinations should be modified to promote and facilitate physical distancing in accordance with the CDC recommendation of a distance of at least six feet.

 

20. Abundant signage and floor markers should be utilized to communicate physical distancing requirements in the terminal, at cruise line-owned destinations, and on board the ship, with a particular emphasis on high-traffic areas (e.g., gangways, elevators, ship common areas).

 

Terminal, Boarding, Debarkation Controls

21. Cruise operators should utilize processes and protocols for touchless check-in and speedier boarding to reduce contact and potential congestion in the terminal.

Sanitation

 

22. Cruise operators should educate guests in advance of travel about the sanitation measures that are being used preboard, on board, and at private, cruise line-owned and operated destinations.

 

23. Enhanced sanitation protocols should be employed to protect against the risk of SARSCoV-2 transmission via inanimate surfaces or objects, with attention to both high- and low-touch areas of the ship, terminal, and cruise line-owned and operated destinations.

 

24. Cruise operators should ensure that all disinfectants used for cleaning and disinfection are on the EPA’s List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 or national equivalent for terminals located outside the U.S., which must also comply with local government regulations.

 

Hand Hygiene

 

25. Cruise operators should follow CDC recommendations regarding the use of hand sanitizers and hand washing with soap and water to craft their recommendations for guests.

 

26. Cruise operators should ensure that hand sanitizer stations, wipes, or hand washing stations are conveniently placed around the ship for guests’ and crew members’ usage.

 

27. Cruise operators should ensure that crew members are thoroughly trained on all aspects of infection control with emphasis on proper hand hygiene techniques.

 

28. In addition to providing hand sanitizer and hand washing stations on board, cruise operators should encourage hand washing or use of hand sanitizer before and after guests participate in recreational activities.

 

Ventilation, HVAC, Filtration Controls

 

29. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through the air is sufficiently likely that airborne exposure to the virus should be controlled for.

 

30. Cruise operators should use a variety of indoor air management strategies aimed at reducing occupant exposure to infectious droplets/aerosols.

 

31. All cruise operators should upgrade the HVAC systems on their ships to, ideally, MERV 13 filters to minimize pathogen dispersal from infected guests and crew.

 

32. Cruise operators’ indoor air management strategies should be optimized given the constraints of ship age and ventilation type.

 

33. When considering air management strategies, cruise operators should have a primary focus on reducing exposures in the core set of areas where guests and crew would be most vulnerable to droplet/airborne exposure to virus.

 

Medical Personnel

 

34. As a part of augmenting onboard medical capacity to ensure preparedness for potential COVID-19 cases, cruise operators should increase their existing ratios of medical personnel to guests and crew.

 

35. Cruise operators should ensure redundancy and back-up for onboard medical personnel.

 

36. Cruise operators should ensure there is sufficient onboard medical leadership on all ships, including the designation of a crew member with responsibility for infectious disease prevention and response who will inform and oversee execution of components of the response to an outbreak. Cruise operators should also ensure they have a doctor on board with intensivist training to manage the medical care of severely ill patients.

Onboard Clinic Design & Operations

 

37. Cruise operators should increase the capacity in their onboard medical facilities to treat patients who may become critically ill from SARS-CoV-2 infection or other unrelated illnesses.

 

38. Cruise operators should amplify the varieties and amount of equipment in the onboard medical facilities, including the ability to test for SARS-CoV-2 infection on board.

 

39. Cruise ship facilities should be arranged to accommodate care for patients presenting with suspected infectious disease separately from care for those presenting with noninfectious diseases.

 

40. Rather than a patient having an in-person appointment at the medical facility to receive a diagnosis or care, medical appointments should be scheduled virtually/remotely and/or medical staff members should hold appointments in the patient’s stateroom when possible.

 

Treatment Plan

 

41. A cruise line’s medical treatment plan should be responsive to the current understanding of COVID-19 and optimal treatment protocols, as well as to the specific clinical needs of each patient.

 

42. Cruise operators should have established relationships with onshore medical institutions that can provide telemedicine consultations in the event of a more serious COVID-19 case.

 

Contact Tracing

43. Cruise operators should use CDC guidance as a general guide regarding exposure (< 6 feet for ≥ 15 minutes), pending updates based on emerging scientific evidence.

 

44. Cruise operators should define high-, medium-, and low-risk exposures such that recommendations for each exposure level can be efficiently operationalized

 

45. Cruise operators should employ a variety of contact tracing methodologies to ensure that all potential SARS-CoV-2 infections are identified as quickly as possible.

 

46. Cruise operators should collect metrics on the effectiveness of contact tracing.

 

47. Cruise operators should be transparent in their communication with guests about what information is being collected and how it will be used for contact tracing

 

Isolation/Quarantine

 

48. Cruise operators should designate certain cabins on the ship as isolation and quarantine spaces.

 

49. Cruise operators should provide guidelines for the determination of whether, when, and where an individual should be isolated or quarantined based on their exposure risk, symptoms, etc.

 

Debarkation Scenarios

 

50. Cruise operators should have a thorough mobilization response plan in place prior to sailing to address the various scenarios that may require individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (guests or crew), and their close contacts, to debark from the ship.

 

51. Cruise operators should define the criteria for small-, moderate-, and large-scale debarkation scenarios in advance of cruising, including a clear decision-making process to guide thinking about when the threshold has been met for each risk level.

 

52. Cruise operators should establish offsite incident management with designated medical professionals’ advice to respond rapidly and to aid in decision-making.

 

53. In any debarkation scenario, individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, close contacts, and persons under investigation should be kept separate from any healthy individuals (i.e., those not identified through contact tracing or those who have tested negative).

 

54. Cruise operators should establish a communications plan, and assign a communications lead in advance, to share timely, relevant information with crew and guests on board the ship in the event of a SARS-CoV-2 infection during or after the cruise. Additionally, cruise operators should have systems in place to coordinate information about SARS-CoV-2 infections to relevant health authorities.

 

Destination & Itinerary Planning

 

55. There are two essential prerequisites that need to be satisfied in order for a ship to sail to a given port:

 

Approval from the local government to visit a port

 

Agreement to allow safe passage to SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals and their close contacts to debark and travel home.
 

56.Cruise operators should rely primarily on three key parameters when determining whether to travel to a given port:

Current burden of SARS CoV-2 as defined by testing rate, positivity rate, and death rate.
Local testing capacity.

Local/regional/national implementation of SARS CoV-2 mitigation protocols.

 

57. In the startup phase, cruises itineraries should be as simple as possible, utilizing private, cruise line-owned and operated destinations or ports where there can be tight control of the onshore experience.

 

58. Cruise operators should initially return to service with shorter length trips.

 

Guest Excursions

 

59. During the initial return to sailing, cruise operators should only allow guests debarking from a ship at a destination port to participate in cruise line-sponsored or verified excursions as a way of limiting potential exposures in the destinations they visit.

 

60. Cruise operators should establish expectations of the vendors at the destinations they visit to ensure that they are taking recommended steps to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2

 

61. Cruise operators should incorporate verification of compliance with SARS-CoV-2 protocols into their routine ongoing monitoring guidelines for excursion vendors.

 

62. Cruise operators should ensure that guests are thoroughly informed about potential exposure risks and how to minimize their risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 at the planned destination.

 

63. Cruise operators should offer indoor excursions only if physical distancing, use of masks, and other recommended protective measures can be implemented.

 

Prevention (Crew)

 

64. Cruise operators should manage the population density of crew areas of the ship

65. Cruise operators should provide opportunities for crew to debark from the ship at destinations while maintaining reasonable limitations on their movement to reduce risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

66. Crew should be placed in single-occupancy crew cabins whenever possible to minimize extended periods of close contact with other crew members.

67. Cruise operators should limit crew members’ close contact with guests over extended periods of time wherever possible. When distancing isn’t possible, crew should be provided with additional PPE appropriate to their job type.

68. Cruise operators should include crew in the surveillance, contact tracing, quarantine, isolation, and debarkation protocols that will be employed in the event that a SARS-CoV2 infection is discovered on board.

Training & Culture
69. Crew should be provided with regular training on protocols to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and empowered to take action to ensure these protocols are followed by guests and fellow crew members.

70. Cruise operators should reinforce a culture of honesty and collective responsibility among crew for following protocols and creating a safer environment.

Validation of Implementation

71. Cruise operators should have measures and metrics in place to perform continual selfassessment of compliance with all updated health and safety protocols as well as methods for third-party verification of compliance.

72. Cruise operators should perform an “after-action review” following a cruise on which a SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected to assess gaps and make improvements prior to the next trip.

 

The Path Forward

 

73. In their return to sailing, cruise operators should use a phased approach to demonstrate that protocols can be successfully implemented on board their ships before returning to full operations with guests on board.

 

74.Cruise operators should implement a formal process to review health and safety experiences related to COVID-19 on cruises to enhance best practices and shared learnings for continuous improvement.

 

[Fletch1]

There's a lot to take in there, but I think everything is just about covered. 

 

Interesting on the Shore Excursion scenario......how long is "Initial return to sailing"? 

[NSWP]

Holy Moly, what a nightmare, I do not wish to cruise under those constraints. Other cruislines will adopt the same policies, I am sure.  Imagine the cost of implementing all this, someone has to, the pax with increased fares.

Edited September 21, 2020 by NSWP

[NSWP]

2 minutes ago, Fletch1 said:

There's a lot to take in there, but I think everything is just about covered. 

 

Interesting on the Shore Excursion scenario......how long is "Initial return to sailing"? 

As long as it takes, no ships shorex, no get off. Yes initial return could be a long time, or a short time, who knows?

Edited September 21, 2020 by NSWP

[Kiwi Kruzer]

The only thing missing was a final sign off sentence..

“Enjoy your Cruise”.  😳🛳😳😯🛳🤔

[NSWP]

Over on the RCI board there is good discussion on this. I dont know how they will fill the ships with so many cruisers not wanting to cruise with so many constraints. Princess are submitting their protocols next week, which no doubt will be much the same as the RCI one. The Princess one will be the Carnival Corp one for all their brands, I would expect.

Edited September 21, 2020 by NSWP

[MMDown Under]

I wonder how many experienced cruise passengers were members of the Healthy Sail Panel when they developed their 74 detailed steps and list of protocols 65 pages long.  Reminds me of the fine print attached to cruise bookings, which are favourable to cruise lines versus passengers.

[icat2000]

Hard Pass. Too many rules and regulations. I know they probably trying to cover themselves. Probably lawyers and insurance constraints re public liability. But I'm just going to wait it out for now. 

Edited September 22, 2020 by icat2000

[Kiwi Kruzer]

It reads more like they are running a quarantine hotel rather than a cruise holiday.

[Chiliburn]

We should expect a revised cruise season for 2021 soon.

 Hopefully we will see a start in Australia with short cruises.

[The_Big_M]

4 hours ago, NSWP said:

As long as it takes, no ships shorex, no get off. Yes initial return could be a long time, or a short time, who knows?

 

Yeah, until they're comfortable they can relax procedures. You can't put an end date on it.

[The_Big_M]

I didn't see it as that onerous. The main things coming out for passengers are: testing upfront, wearing masks (as required*), and initial shore excursions need to be approved.

 

*This will likely be pressured to be weakened as time progresses.

 

And obviously they'll want to relax the shore excursions requirement as soon as they can, but there's not much they can do about that. But by going for shorter, local itineraries it will enable it to be relaxed as well.

[GUT2407]

Well for a long time I have known my cruising days were limited, looking at this I am not sorry.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, icat2000 said:

Hard Pass. Too many rules and regulations. I know they probably trying to cover themselves. Probably lawyers and insurance constraints re public liability. But I'm just going to wait it out for now. 

I join the club Sarah,  not my idea of a good way to spend my precious dollars. Too many constraints and ifs and buts. Can you imagine the delays in check in/embarkation with all the checks and balances?

Edited September 22, 2020 by NSWP

[NSWP]

4 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I wonder how many experienced cruise passengers were members of the Healthy Sail Panel when they developed their 74 detailed steps and list of protocols 65 pages long.  Reminds me of the fine print attached to cruise bookings, which are favourable to cruise lines versus passengers.

Probably none.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

It reads more like they are running a quarantine hotel rather than a cruise holiday.

Stricter than a quarantine hotel I reckon David.  A total nightmare.  A lot of cost involved implementing these procedures, guess who is wearing the cost, not the cruise line, the passenger of course !!

Edited September 22, 2020 by NSWP

[mr walker]

WOW. too many conditions for me to even take in.

 

And yet, it may well be travel insurance that becomes the stopper.

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Stricter than a quarantine hotel I reckon David.  A total nightmare.  A lot of cost involved implementing these procedures, guess who is wearing the cost, not the cruise line, the passenger of course !!

At least in some quarantine hotels you get to have fun with the guards, wonder if there are any female guards???

[NSWP]

4 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Well for a long time I have known my cruising days were limited, looking at this I am not sorry.

Me and you both mate, time to end my cruising career after 24 of them all over the world. My formal night dinner suit will be donated to Vinnies or Salvos tomorrow, dont need it any more. 😪I am depressed, time for a double JW green label.

Edited September 22, 2020 by NSWP

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Me and you both mate, time to end my cruising career after 24 of them all over the world. My formal night dinner suit will be donated to Vinnies or Salvos tomorrow, dont need it any more. 😪I am depressed, time for a double JW green label.

Yeah mate but soon they might let’s us do road trips and I am sure you will head up to Qld to see the family.

 

For us if I can handle a road trip again it will be Victoria to see sonny Jim Tasmania, our favourite place and maybe a trip on the Murray if I can book on the paddle steamer my great grandmother launched (or it’s replica anyway, said to be a highly accurate replica).

 

but I even find Sydney and back in one day a bit much, so we will have to see.

 

[Fletch1]

7 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

I didn't see it as that onerous. The main things coming out for passengers are: testing upfront, wearing masks (as required*), and initial shore excursions need to be approved.

 

*This will likely be pressured to be weakened as time progresses.

 

And obviously they'll want to relax the shore excursions requirement as soon as they can, but there's not much they can do about that. But by going for shorter, local itineraries it will enable it to be relaxed as well.

 

I agree. A lot relates to requirements placed on staff and crew, and some of those things are already in place. On the old health forms you had to fill in prior to boarding, if you ticked the boxes saying your had gastro type symptoms in the past 24 hours, they usually denied you boarding anyway. 

 

It all comes down to passenger and crew safety.....something I agree with.  It is all in the aim of getting cruising going again. 

 

[latserrof]

I swear, I'm never going back to prison.

[The_Big_M]

11 hours ago, NSWP said:

I join the club Sarah,  not my idea of a good way to spend my precious dollars. Too many constraints and ifs and buts. Can you imagine the delays in check in/embarkation with all the checks and balances?

 

Probably none.

 

The health check takes the place of... the existing health check.

 

And a temperature check on the spot is immediate, just the same as going to a restaurant or shop now.

[D C]

3 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

Probably none.

 

The health check takes the place of... the existing health check.

 

And a temperature check on the spot is immediate, just the same as going to a restaurant or shop now.

Do they do checks at restaurants and shops down there?  I've only seen that at one place in the US outside of corporations doing visitor screening and even that has been an exception rather than the rule. 

[The_Big_M]

20 minutes ago, D C said:

Do they do checks at restaurants and shops down there?  I've only seen that at one place in the US outside of corporations doing visitor screening and even that has been an exception rather than the rule. 

 

It depends on individual policy, plus the local situation. Places where there have been outbreaks or which are more rigorous in checking they do. Though places where there are no cases don't have a need so don't.