When the CDC issued the No Sail Order for 100 days, one of the requirements for cruises to resume were that each cruise ship operator would need to develop plans to prevent, mitigate and respond to the spread of COVID-19 on board cruise ships.
The Miami Herald has now reported that the CDC has been working on a new system for months to detect, prevent & mitigate the spread of coronavirus with a focus on crew. “The ships will be graded on a color-coded system: green for no confirmed cases of COVID-19 or COVID-like illness for 28 days, yellow for one or more COVID-like illness cases pending confirmation, red for one or more cases of confirmed COVID-19 or COVID-like illness within the past 28 days.”
The system is being used to determine whether any asymptomatic crew members remaining on certain ships will be allowed to use specific facilities, such as gyms or meeting rooms (which are not required to close on “Green” ships,) or whether they still need to remain in their cabins during non-work hours. This will also help getting any few remaining aboard ships home. Any ship with a “green” level, the crew can be repatriated via commercial transportation. If the ship is on a yellow or red level, then non-commercial transportation must be used. There are approximately 60,000 crew members still waiting to go home.
The CDC will publish the new system “in the coming week” in addition to a scorecard for each ship operating in U.S. waters that reflects its level of infection. The new data could better illuminate just how many cruise ships have been affected by COVID-19 outbreaks.
Here are more details on each level:
Green (currently unaffected by COVID-19, per the cruise line):
- No confirmed COVID-19 cases or COVID-like illness for 28 days (per a medical professional)
- If there have been ship-to-ship transfers in the past 28 days, previous ship must have no COVID-19 or similar illnesses the past 28 days prior to transfer
- Land-based crew who embarked must have quarantined for 14 days after getting on the ship
- Ships have to send an enhanced data collection form to the CDC each week, or the status turns to red
Yellow
- Previously designated Green, but now has 1 or more COVID-like illness cases pending COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. If PCR positive, status changes to Red (must sign attestation again after meeting criteria again)
- If PCR negative, status goes back to Green
- If crew with COVID-like illness are not tested by PCR or if results are not available within 1 week of the case being reported, status changes to Red.
- If the ship received ship-to-ship transfers within the past 28 days, crew must have come from a ship that had no confirmed COVID-19 or COVID-like illness within the 28 days before the transfer occurred. If not, status changes to Red.
- If land-based crew embarked, they were immediately quarantined for 14 days upon embarking the ship. If not, status changes to Red.
Red
- Either one or more cases of COVID-19 or COVID-like illnesses within past 28 days;
- Or: Ship had ship-to-ship transfers from a vessel with cases of COVID-19 or COVID-like illnesses within past 28 days;
- Or: Land-based crew embarked and weren’t quarantined for 14 days;
- Or: In past 28 days ship didn’t submit one or more enhanced data collection forms
Each designation also means there are certain requirements and recommendations for asymptomatic crew members aboard. For example if a ship is a red level, crew must be in single cabins, all dining venues must be closed and mandatory face coverings for all crew.
The CDC is also in the process of reviewing health and safety plans submitted by Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Disney Cruise Line, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages outlining how the companies will detect, prevent and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus at sea while cruises are stopped. Although subject to change, NCL did announce their sail safe health & safety program earlier this week.
