When the severity of coronavirus became apparent, China used a drastic method to forestall its rapid spread: quarantine. Now the same method is being applied to cruise ships, with mixed results.
Two ships are stranded at sea — housing nearly 5,000 crew and passengers. One, with 1,400 passengers, has finally found a home — after being turned away from five international ports. Holland America's Westerdam was refused entry by Japan, Guam, Taiwan, and the Philippines. On Wednesday, Cambodia said it would allow the ship — which does not appear to have any cases of the virus at this time — to dock, the cruise line confirmed in a statement.
The World Health Organization's Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on a Wednesday conference call with journalists said the body, along with the International Maritime Organization, "will issue a communiqué to all countries to respect the principle of 'free pratique' for ships and the principle of proper care for all travelers, in accordance with the International Health Regulations."
He said Cambodia's acceptance "is an example of the international solidarity we have consistently been calling for. Outbreaks can bring out the best and worst in people."
Crisis management experts have raised concerns about the methods of shutting in cruise ship passengers and crew.
"I know it's a very stressful situation for the people that are onboard the ship. They are in a confined environment. They are essentially being isolated from each other," Brian Salerno, SVP of maritime policy for Cruise Lines International Association, told Cheddar Wednesday afternoon. He said the goal is to "minimize contact among people."
The cruise ship experiment also may have been for naught as the virus jumped to shore through a Japanese official, who tested positive for the virus after surveying passengers held in quarantine in the port of Yokohama.
The Diamond Princess, which has been quarantined for a week after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive, has reported 175 infected individuals so far among the 3,600 crew and passengers. That makes the floating city home to the largest concentration of cases of the recently named COVID-19 disease outside of China.
"There have been instances in the last decade or two of global health emergencies and the industry is well-practiced in ramping up its procedures," Salerno said."We've been through this type of procedure before."
