Diamond Princess passenger "tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus"

[Psoque]

5 hours ago, perditax said:

The CDC is a US organization and the letter is addressed at the top to US passengers.

Basically, most US based cruise ships work with CDC and routinely follow their recommendations/laws in guiding their actions regarding health and safety onboard.  So CDC is their "go to" agency on this matter, and CDC regulates the health and safety aspects of these cruise ships.  In "usual circumstances" they only work with CDC.  In this case, it would have been much better if the letter came from WHO or jointly from WHO and CDC (and possibly Japanese Health Ministry), but I think getting things like that organized is never easy (beaurocracy!!!).  But regardless of where the letter came from, I highly doubt CDC is running this particular operation by themselves, and I would think just "evacuating" just American citizens would be a good idea, either medically or for Princess.

 

Also, from what I am starting to understand, there is a significant contingent of passengers and their families who grew to mistrust the Japanese government and WHO, who is running the quarantine, and it is very possible that a letter coming from CDC with a signature from a US official may give a level of comfort to those who mistrust the system.  I'm not saying everyone who mistrust the system are ignorant/racist.  I think we all get a bit testy when we are under enormous stress like this. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Psoque

[Wehwalt]

15 minutes ago, dog said:

 

Not sure why this point continues to go on.

Japan is making the decisions. New update on how it will be handled is on Princess website Feb 12th.

There are now 59 pages of discussion (per my settings) of decisions made by the Japanese. I should expect it to continue until the people of Diamond Princess are home.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Wehwalt

[dog]

2 minutes ago, Wehwalt said:

There are now 59 pages of discussion (per my settings) of decisions made by the Japanese. I should expect it to continue until the people of Diamond Princess are home.

And the discussion on what is happening should continue. Seems to be some here repeatedly coming up with a better way of handling situation. The Japanese Gov’t will make the decisions regarding the meals. 

[Doter]

On 2/2/2020 at 1:22 PM, pablo222 said:

I don't know if this applies, or is still true.

 

But, if used to be that if you were elite, and booked basic insurance, you got upgraded to

the better insurance than included 'cancel for any reason'.

 

I was told by Roam Right it doesn’t include Coronavirus. Ask that specific question with your travel insurance company and please post if any says they do cover Coronavirus. Thanks 

[LizNeedsAVacation]

2 hours ago, Wehwalt said:

It doesn't address whether one's luggage would accompany. If it did, possibly the ship could make a CARE package. If you could not have your property with you in quarantine, that might put a different spin on it.

 

The quarters might be inferior to say, a standard balcony cabin. The internet would probably be better though!

That is an interesting question.

 

I would have said that I’d jump at the chance to move off the ship, especially if I was an inside cabin. But having read this I realized that it might not be as much of a no-brainer for some. The meals for instance would be a concern because my husband is a vegetarian (which I would assume and need to confirm is viewed as a “dietary preference” but when you haven’t eaten meat in almost 30 years you will get sick if you do). And the “certain medical conditions” would have equal concern.

 

It would also depend who my travel companions were and how isolated I’d be from them. 
 

I wouldn’t fit into the 80+ demographic but if they open the decision to inside cabins and I was in one with my kids, it’d be a very tough call as to whether to move if they’d end up in a room alone.
 

But since they are requiring a positive test, that alone should give some reassurance to people.

 

Again, I don’t envy anyone in this situation. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by LizNeedsAVacation
Just fixed typos

[LizNeedsAVacation]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I think it may be targetted more at getting the Japanese passengers off the ship, based on the comment about the meals that would be provided at the quarantine housing facility:

 

"The meals provided will be Japanese bento-style boxes. No Western meals will be available"

 

I could happily handle Japanese food for lunch and dinner but not for breakfast! And, yes, I have tried it!

 

Not that it really matters though. Reducing the number of people in quarantine on the ship itself will reduce the pressure on the crew. It's a good move, I think.

I just assume that meals are what the Japanese government are able to provide which is to say what is typical fare there.

 

Someone said that they should use the school cafeterias. I have no idea what is typical in a Japanese school cafeteria but from my school days in Hawaii which has a lot of Japanese influence, I’d predict bento style meals are typical for large group settings like this.

[BigGuy25]

Great to see Princess stepping up during this unprecedented (and hopefully isolated) event!

[Wehwalt]

The way it's phrased, the up-front mention that food to suit preference will not be available, seems almost meant to be off-putting to Westerners.

 

Personally, I've seen Western food available even in convenience stores in Japan. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Wehwalt

[MadManOfBethesda]

2 hours ago, dog said:

No, they will not get off they said. No special food requirements will be met and they want to stay together.

But the letter didn't say that "no special food requirements"  will be met.  It said that dietary preferences won't be met, but that it will accommodate certain medical conditions.  In other words, I would think that would mean for example that they're not going to provide special meals for vegetarians, but if you have Celiac Disease, they'll give you gluten-free meals. 

[Doter]

1 hour ago, Doter said:

I was told by Roam Right it doesn’t include Coronavirus. Ask that specific question with your travel insurance company and please post if any says they do cover Coronavirus. Thanks 

I was willing to pay for the best insurance but was told no coverage for Coronavirus. 

[mtfasls]

I'm not sure if I missed it or not, but of these new cases that tested positive how many total were tested?

[Travelw]

Soooo happy to read Princess is doing the right thing for the crew on the Diamond.  Shows a lot of class on their part.

 

Dennis

[ghstudio]

Why the reaction to Bento Box.....it's a generic statement just like sandwich.  Would everyone be happier if they said food will be sandwiches, without stating what type of sandwich you will get.  A typical bento box has separate spaces for different foods....in a "typical" japanese restaurant, one section would be sushi, another rice, another a salad of some sort.  One could serve almost anything in a Bento box.  Clearly, you will not get a menu...you will get what you get, but you eat what you want.  No, they aren't going to serve you sea urchin and it's very unlikely you will get any raw fish.....they will serve common japanese meals and likely they will be "americanized/europeanized".

 

Likely, it's similar to what you would get if you were sent to a hospital in Japan.  If you are a meat and potatoes person....you probably won't be happy with the meals.  Personally, I'd prefer not to be on the ship.....and I'd eat pretty much anything they give me that met my medical restrictions (in my case, none). Very likely the meals will be slanted to the vegetarian...but you won't have a choice.

 

I do see some significant breakage because one individual is eligible to leave the ship but their partner isn't eligible....that's a tough decision.

[ed01106]

What’s going to happen if many of the passengers who have a balcony want to remain with their spouses, ordering food off a menu etc.  Yet most of the crew wants out of their cramp conditions and 20 hour work days?

[deultgen]

I agree with other, and would add …..

 

The key phrase in the original letter is, "This will include your salary and any average gratuities you may normally receive".  I am glad they are providing the anticipated gratuities since I believe for most of the staff it is the majority of their income.  

[kathy49]

9 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

People over 80 tend to have more medical complications perhaps they think the effects of confinement are too much from them. Also I suspect there isn't too many people over 80 so maybe they see it has a manageable amount to get off the ship.

a cruise like this will have a fair number of over 80

[auldlassie]

Been saying testing everyone on board was the only way forward for days now. Eventually, the inevitability of this expense finally hits the economic fan.....

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday said that the government will bolster testing capabilities for those on the cruise ship to about 1,000 samples per day by Feb. 18 by allowing testing at private facilities. So far, only up to about 300 samples can be tested each day at public health centers nationwide. Kato said the government is contemplating testing all passengers and crew members.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/12/national/science-health/40-new-coronavirus-cases-cruise-ship-quarantined-japan/#.XkQ74RNKjPA

 

Please, no one repeat to me that Japan could not do this earlier  -  Japan is rich, sophisticated, littered with medical testing facilities and well capable of doing so. It was - and is, the world over, - all about the political "cost versus need" decision.

[K.T.B.]

19 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Keep your employees happy.  Good on Princess.  

 

Hopefully those passengers who are still working will have a job when they get home.  Not all companies are as "good".

[kathy49]

1 hour ago, Wehwalt said:

The way it's phrased, the up-front mention that food to suit preference will not be available, seems almost meant to be off-putting to Westerners.

 

Personally, I've seen Western food available even in convenience stores in Japan. 

i think what is happening on board is certain passengers are very demanding ...expecting the cruise cuisine of weeks ago to be available....they are eating to live right now and cannot be picky. I am sure the crew and officers have better to do than deal with people demanding things. Believe me many of those people are on board.

[ed01106]

4 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

 

Hopefully those passengers who are still working will have a job when they get home.  Not all companies are as "good".

Japanese companies absolutely would not fire someone for this.  

 

And of the others,  most are either retired or are upper level employees.  This cruise is outside the price range (when adding in air) for a shift supervisor at a department store.

[K.T.B.]

17 hours ago, Kmkub said:

 

You really think there are catering services standing fully staffed, menus planned, distro process planned and fresh food ready to prepare 10K meals a day, just in case? LOL

 

I never said it couldn't be done. I said it couldn't be done day 1. Are they working on it? I have no idea. Should they be? I have no idea. 

 

I was just pointing out the obvious that there's no place in the world that could come up with 3,700 meals in an hour or two and then repeat the process every 5-7 hours for days on end, without having planned and planned ahead of time. These things take planning.  A cruise ship can do this because they have a buttoned up process that has been developed and refined over decades.  

 

There are 23 US military bases in Japan, not including port facilities, medical, POL depots, etc.  They could easily handle it and relatively quickly if needed.  

[zonacruiser25]

As the days linger, I cannot imagine the angst that the families of the passengers and crew of the Diamond must be experiencing.  With the end of the quarantine period approaching, I cannot help but feel that the passengers will be able to return home.  Japan has great relations with the countries of origin for those onboard and I do not believe we have much of an idea of what each country is doing to accommodate their citizens.  From my only visit to Japan, I would believe that the disembarkation and travel from Japan will be handled graciously. 

 

Interestingly I have not read any updates about the recovery of those from the Diamond that are recovering in facilities in Japan now.  I would hope no news is good news.

 

Having lived in a closed environment with recirculating air for extended periods of time, it is a challenge to contain any illness.  I believe that Princess stepped up to the challenge and we will all be critiquing this situation for months to come.  I pray the end is in sight and look forward to reading the stories from the ones that are on this weird journey.

[DownByTheSea]

1 hour ago, Wehwalt said:

The way it's phrased, the up-front mention that food to suit preference will not be available, seems almost meant to be off-putting to Westerners.

 

Personally, I've seen Western food available even in convenience stores in Japan. 

 

My thought was that since the majority of the pax are from Japan, the Japanese government was possibly focusing on how best to handle their own citizens (who would be familiar with bento boxes, etc.), and also simply extending the same offer to any non-Japanese citizens who might want it. It's interesting to think that since we all mostly converse in English on CC, I feel in tune with what other English-speakers on board are experiencing (David Abel and so on), while I have little sense how it would feel for the Japanese citizens, and others for whom English isn't their primary language. (I understand Princess makes the shipboard announcements in Japanese as well, but I suspect it's still a different experience to be a Japanese citizen quarantined on an American-owned ship.) Especially if the quarantine time were to need to be extended, the Japanese government couldn't be faulted for focusing on their own citizens who make up the majority of pax on board, who might prefer a more familiar setting.

[debshomespun]

28 minutes ago, ed01106 said:

Japanese companies absolutely would not fire someone for this.  

 

And of the others,  most are either retired or are upper level employees.  This cruise is outside the price range (when adding in air) for a shift supervisor at a department store.

 

This is certainly a discriminitory statement!  There could be  employees that are shift supervisors at a department store that have saved for this once in a lifetime cruise.  So yes, their job could be on the line.  

 

Not everyone on the Diamond  Princess  is retired!  There are passengers that have regular jobs.

Edited February 13, 2020 by debshomespun

[kathy49]

interesting comments here as the time goes along...bottom line nothing really new...more cases each day as testing increases and no other real news. 218 is the known number at least to the public at this point. Experts will be hashing this over for years...HAL passengers are in Cambodia and getting flights back home. What a ride for them!