COVID-19 and cruises: a match made in hell
With cruise ships a much-talked-about vector of SARS-CoV-2, the industry is currently dead in the water. So what measures can be taken to ensure the future safety of crew, passengers and the public?
There has been widespread media coverage and public health concern about the high incidence of COVID-19 cases on cruise ships and the role of cruise ships in transmission of the disease.
The best-known examples have been the Diamond Princess and the now notorious Ruby Princess.
The Diamond Princess, with approximately 3711 passengers and crew on board, departed from Yokohama on 20 January. On 25 January, a passenger with symptoms was offloaded in Hong Kong, where he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Ultimately, 712 (19.2%) of those on board the Diamond Princess had positive test results.
A substantial proportion (46.5%) were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Of the 381 people who developed symptoms, 37 required intensive care and nine died.1
