P&O changes positive test coach policy

[kevboy]

Anyone having travelled to Southampton by coach and testing negative will now not be refused embarkation if fellow travellers are positive. This is a complete u-turn. Of course, all positives will still be turned away. Common sense at last.

[picsa]

3 minutes ago, kevboy said:

Common sense at last.

Is it?

 

Being sat next to / behind / in front of someone on a coach for several hours who has COVID puts you at a high risk of catching it, but the infection won’t be sufficiently advanced in the person who caught it on the coach to test positive on an LFT just before embarking.

 

But of course they will then be on board, whilst the person who infected them was turned away, and free to spread it on to lots of others.

 

Just shows how much of P&O’s policy is just theatre rather than serving a sensible purpose.

[Harry Peterson]

11 minutes ago, kevboy said:

Anyone having travelled to Southampton by coach and testing negative will now not be refused embarkation if fellow travellers are positive. This is a complete u-turn. Of course, all positives will still be turned away. Common sense at last.

Convenient. But potentially very risky, given the remarkable ease of transmission in enclosed spaces such as coaches of the Delta variant.

[Ardennais]

21 minutes ago, kevboy said:

Anyone having travelled to Southampton by coach and testing negative will now not be refused embarkation if fellow travellers are positive. This is a complete u-turn. Of course, all positives will still be turned away. Common sense at last.

I can’t see the sense in that. 

[HalifaxYorksCruiser]

Seems reasonable to me. You could have got the train to Southampton and sat in close proximity to someone who was positive. Likewise the taxi driver who drove you to the port could have been positive.

[bobstheboy]

1 minute ago, HalifaxYorksCruiser said:

Seems reasonable to me. You could have got the train to Southampton and sat in close proximity to someone who was positive. Likewise the taxi driver who drove you to the port could have been positive.

The difference in the examples you quote is "could have " as opposed to definitely has if a positive test.

[picsa]

1 minute ago, HalifaxYorksCruiser said:

Seems reasonable to me. You could have got the train to Southampton and sat in close proximity to someone who was positive. Likewise the taxi driver who drove you to the port could have been positive.

But in both those cases P&O don’t know the train passengers or taxi driver was infected with COVID.

 

With the coach P&O knows the other passenger was infected, they know the high probability of transmission with the Delta variant, and they know that transmission won’t show up on an LFT taken by other coach passengers who are now infected.

 

So why bother with the whole LFT testing before embarking if you are going to deliberately ignore information that points to infected passengers?

[indiana123]

Risky IMHO

[Harry Peterson]

23 minutes ago, indiana123 said:

Risky IMHO

Indeed - and with a potential for legal action against P&O for negligence should any losses, physical or financial, be suffered.  Maybe they're working on the basis that it would be difficult to establish a link between an outbreak (or a single case) and a coach passenger.

[Eglesbrech]

4 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Indeed - and with a potential for legal action against P&O for negligence should any losses, physical or financial, be suffered.  Maybe they're working on the basis that it would be difficult to establish a link between an outbreak (or a single case) and a coach passenger.

The old legal premis applies - those who accuse must prove.

[CCFC]

Sounds good to me too, we are going by train on Thursday, both double jabbed as you have to be so dont see an issue.

[Triggertravel]

Sorry, but where have you read this regarding the new COVID policy regarding coach travel

[Son of Anarchy]

We've decided that we will still travel by train for our Iona staycation later this week.

 

Our local train line still requires masks to be worn (though don't appear to enforce it), masks have to be worn on the tube to Waterloo.  Don't know what SW trains' policy is - find out later.  Hopefully the train won't be busy as we're travelling the day before so we should be able to socially distance for a while.

[Gettingwarmer]

14 hours ago, kevboy said:

Anyone having travelled to Southampton by coach and testing negative will now not be refused embarkation if fellow travellers are positive. This is a complete u-turn. Of course, all positives will still be turned away. Common sense at last.

 

12 hours ago, Triggertravel said:

Sorry, but where have you read this regarding the new COVID policy regarding coach travel

Anyone else read this anywhere

[Mostonian]

Yes, it’s on P&O’s update as from the 27th August. As far as I am aware there has only been one incidence of someone testing positive as the terminal, who has travelled by coach, and this was not with a current P&O partner. It would be interesting to know how many passengers who tested negative at the terminal, then went on to have a Covid infection.  From information I have read it takes a couple of days from an initial infection to develop a positive response to a LFT.  If the only acceptable way to travel to the port becomes a car journeys with one other passenger, then a lot of other potential passengers may be deterred from cruising. I think the bottom line has to be that if you test negative at the terminal you should be allowed to embark, so long as you live at a different address to the infected  passenger.  Just my thoughts.

[Windsurfboy]

If they ensure mask wearing on coach. Also social distancing every other row.  Same rules as in theatre on board , no eating or drinking. May need extra comfort  break. Then chance of transmission low so a reasonable  new rule.

 

If coaches are full and no masks or lots of mask cheating a bad rule.

[Triggertravel]

I have checked and checked again , read the lates p&o  from the 27th august update, and no way does it suggest that if anybody test positive within a coach party and all other passengers on board test negative iof the same coach can board the ship,without the risk of being taken off again 

[kevboy]

Further to my comments, I travelled on Eavesway from Bolton 28th August to join Iona. The coach driver informed us all about the new decision. If you test negative at the port you will be allowed on the ship - even if other passengers on the same coach test positive.

[molecrochip]

There is a key point missing here. Coach companies have been reminded that passengers must wear masks on board the coaches and show a negative LFT before boarding.

 

As long as these rules are followed, the original statement is correct.

 

Coach companies have been warned that if these rules are not followed, and there is a positive case, they could be liable for costs/compensation.

[molecrochip]

Just now, molecrochip said:

There is a key point missing here. Coach companies have been reminded that passengers must wear masks on board the coaches and show a negative LFT before boarding.

 

As long as these rules are followed, the original statement is correct.

 

Coach companies have been warned that if these rules are not followed, and there is a positive case, they could be liable for costs/compensation.

There is a strong belief that neither point was adhered to on the coach with the infected passenger. That is why the whole coach were sent home.

[Triggertravel]

I Thought I’d share this tweet from my wife to p&o with there response regarding the coach travel protocol if somebody tests positive on arrival by coach to the port of Southampton 

[Les_ldh]

4 hours ago, Triggertravel said:

I Thought I’d share this tweet from my wife to p&o with there response regarding the coach travel protocol if somebody tests positive on arrival by coach to the port of Southampton 

Thanks for sharing that with us. It is very reassuring.

[molecrochip]

The key words there social distancing, PPE and air ventilation. Please Please Please take personal responsibility for this - don't' rely on the coach companies. If you see a lack of social distancing or PPE with out passengers, please say something. If they were to test positive, these rules won't have been followed and you risk your holiday ending before it begins.

[Presto2]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

The key words there social distancing, PPE and air ventilation. Please Please Please take personal responsibility for this - don't' rely on the coach companies. If you see a lack of social distancing or PPE with out passengers, please say something. If they were to test positive, these rules won't have been followed and you risk your holiday ending before it begins.

Have to say IF we go on our May IONA cruise we have coach travel included --- to be honest, I think  we will give it a miss IF we go and drive down. Too much risk for us

[ace2542]

15 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Have to say IF we go on our May IONA cruise we have coach travel included --- to be honest, I think  we will give it a miss IF we go and drive down. Too much risk for us

I think things will be a lot different in May to be honest.