Repurpose ships for the sick

[Mark56]

The cruise industry is going to have tens of thousands of empty beds that can be delivered to major cities like NYC. I wonder if they’re going to be asked to use them? They would make excellent quarantine facilities for those that have the virus but are not in critical condition.

[zqvol]

Just an FYI, CCL offered their ships and the president said he is considering the need.

[DC Traveler244]

Carnival has offered as well:  https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5214/

[cruiseej]

Of course, this would be a good move for the cruise lines, as they would get at least some revenue for running their ships, and be able to employ more of their staff. Whether it makes sense for medical purposes is less clear. As we've seen, transmission of the disease on cruise ships was all-too-easy. Cruise ships are not designed with the same air filtration systems as hospitals, so there needs to be a focus on whether staff and medical professionals would be safe on a ship with infected patients. And if hospitals have a shortage of supplies now, from masks to testing kits to ventilators, there may not be excess supplies to properly equip a cruise ship. But in a worst-case situation, a ship's rooms and beds may be better than a tent on a football field!