GRANDIOSA BARCELONA

[Seanocelt]

Not the best start here in Spain;

 

Problems for the MSC Cruises company  . The company was the first to dock a cruise ship in Barcelona after the stoppage caused by the covid-19 pandemic. The result of the trip was not positive: at least three passengers on the ship were infected with coronavirus . Now, one of them has broken the silence to denounce the lack of security measures on the MSC Cruises ship. This is Pau Verdès, a young man from Barcelona who tested positive on his return home. This boy claims that  social distance was not respected .  He also denounces the  absence of health care  after knowing the contagion inside the ship. 

Three passengers on this cruise ship who docked in the Port of Barcelona on Saturday , two young people from Barcelona and one from Zaragoza, have tested positive for covid so they must be quarantined, the first in their respective homes and the third in a hotel.

The detection of these three infections occurred yesterday in the fourth and last of the controls to which the entire passage of this cruise is subjected. In total, more than 2,300 people have traveled the Mediterranean for a week.

View of the cruise ship "Grandiosa", from MSC Cruises, docked this Saturday at the Port of Barcelona / EFE 

WITHOUT SOCIAL DISTANCE

In statements to Efe , Verdès has denounced that the security measures against the pandemic in the common spaces of the cruise ship "leave a lot to be desired" , especially in relation to social distance.

He cited, by way of example, the area where the pool is located in which, he said, the distance was not respected in the hammocks or in the tables adjacent to the bars of the bar. "The only measure that was respected with tweezers is to wear the mask", although there were also people who walked on the deck without it, he said.

The young man, who was confined to two floors of the ship along with the other two positives and the fourteen contacts who have tested negative, also criticizes that no health worker visited them until Saturday morning to take their temperature , when they were notified about 12:00 yesterday that they had tested positive for covid.

NO MEAL FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS

The young man also complains about the catering service being already confined, such as the provision of water or food : "They had us enough hours without anything. From when we made the order for dinner until it was brought in, three and a half hours passed," he explains.

The three positives and the fourteen contacts that have tested negative had planned to disembark at 10:00 am on Saturday, but after 12:00 they were still on the ship without the rest of the passenger, who had already left the ship.

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The Barça players Griezmann and Dembelé have been involved in a controversy as a result of a video published on social networks

 

 

[Seanocelt]

Another article says final antigen test picked up 3 asymptomatic passengers, 2 locals went home to isolate, one lived in Zaragoza so hotel isolation.

[DCGuy64]

This article is rather hard to read. I’m guessing it was auto-translated because some of the sentences don’t make sense. One of the hyperlinked articles mentions 3 positive cases out of 23,000 passengers. I know the ship doesn’t carry that many people at one time. So maybe it was 2,300 people or maybe they mean a total of 3 cases out of 23,000 people who’ve sailed so far. That’s an incredibly low number. Also, it looks like the protocols worked because the affected passengers were quarantined like they should be. Sounds like a win for MSC all the way around.  

[MotownVoice]

This is terrible news.  But perhaps it’s the beginning of a little 🔥 fire under MSC’s butt to get them to rethink allowing unvaccinated people on board.  Even where there is pushback here in the US (primarily Florida) the other major cruise lines are thumbing their noses at anyone who doesn’t like their vaccines required policies and look at the $5000 fines as just another port fee, the price of doing business.  They spend that much every day on booking discounts. MSC needs to butch up and stop trying to please everybody and as a result being the one major line with the reputation for quarantines counts  (or worse). 

[Cruising89143]

 

16 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

This is terrible news.  But perhaps it’s the beginning of a little 🔥 fire under MSC’s butt to get them to rethink allowing unvaccinated people on board.  Even where there is pushback here in the US (primarily Florida) the other major cruise lines are thumbing their noses at anyone who doesn’t like their vaccines required policies and look at the $5000 fines as just another port fee, the price of doing business.  They spend that much every day on booking discounts. MSC needs to butch up and stop trying to please everybody and as a result being the one major line with the reputation for quarantines counts  (or worse). 

Agree 100%. This is also exactly what the cruise industry “does not” need as they restart their business. I’m sure that there will be more released on this situation. 

[HappyInVan]

Detected at the end of the cruise? Infected aboard or ashore. Not good! 😒

 

Got to tighten up! 🙄

[MotownVoice]

26 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

Detected at the end of the cruise? Infected aboard or ashore. Not good! 😒

 

Got to tighten up! 🙄

Yeah, so much for the “ashore bubble” system, right?

[carlmm]

1 hour ago, MotownVoice said:

This is terrible news.  

 No it is not. It shows how great MSC's procedures work in case somebody is so unfortunate to be infected,

1 hour ago, cruisingator2 said:

. This is also exactly what the cruise industry “does not” need as they restart their business. 

 Don' look at it from a limited American view: MSC and the whole cruise industry in Europe do not restart now - they have done so many months ago, some as early as last year. 

Of course they had some cases from time to time, those were identified and isolated.

If you wait for a guarantee that there will never ever be a case, well, you can wait for ever.

[HappyInVan]

13 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

Yeah, so much for the “ashore bubble” system, right?

 Would be worst without the 'bubble' system! 😬

 

Worst cases scenario is a mass outbreak aboard a cruise ship. We'll be sailing in circles as countries close their borders.

 

Right now, does not look like long cruises will be possible unless 100% vaccinated. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by HappyInVan

[MotownVoice]

54 minutes ago, carlmm said:

 No it is not. It shows how great MSC's procedures work in case somebody is so unfortunate to be infected…

4 Passengers infected, and dozens quarantined.  Great.  Bravo.   Required vaccines would be closer to zero.  Sorry, but second best is just the first loser.  

[Cruising89143]

1 hour ago, carlmm said:

 No it is not. It shows how great MSC's procedures work in case somebody is so unfortunate to be infected,

 Don' look at it from a limited American view: MSC and the whole cruise industry in Europe do not restart now - they have done so many months ago, some as early as last year. 

Of course they had some cases from time to time, those were identified and isolated.

If you wait for a guarantee that there will never ever be a case, well, you can wait for ever.

Since “you” quoted me please show me where “I” stated that I want a guarantee that there will never be a case. Do not put words in my mouth. By the way, not looking at it as an American view. This virus affects the entire world. 🙄

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, cruisingator2 said:

Since “you” quoted me please show me where “I” stated that I want a guarantee that there will never be a case. Do not put words in my mouth. By the way, not looking at it as an American view. This virus affects the entire world. 🙄

 

I think that he  meant that it's an American way to see it as a restart because the restart was a long time ago in Europe. MSC are not restarting now, they did that a long time ago.

[sidari]

Hysteria is still the order of the day for some it would seem, Three, maybe 4 people tested positive, were they all found to be Ill Or just positive ? Cases mean nothing if there is no illness. The tests have been proven to throw up positive results when a person has a cold with many false positives, and many have been testing positive after having two jabs.

Yet the Hysterical out there seem to believe that these 3 or 4 people had not had any jabs!

[CruiseMH]

2 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

4 Passengers infected, and dozens quarantined.  Great.  Bravo.   Required vaccines would be closer to zero.

 

TUI cruises and AIDA cruises are operating in Europe already since middle of last year, MSC since august last year.

None of these cruise lines did require vaccination.

And the result is? TUI hat 4( !) cases so far(carried in total approx. 100.000 guests), AIDA had none(as far as i know) and MSC also did not have that many cases.

The number of cases in relation to the amount of passengers during the last 12 months is much lower than on land in any country in the world.

What i want to say is that cruising without mandatory vaccination can be absolutely safe...it just depends on the taken health measures and - even more important - their consistent implementation .

 

 

 

[MotownVoice]

1 hour ago, CruiseMH said:

 can be absolutely safe...

 

 

 

 

Without the word “absolutely” I might have acquiesced.    But that statement is false.   Having to offer compromised safety scenarios is MSC’s attempt to accommodate people who don’t deserve any kind of capitulation.   Vaxed passengers only … is the only best-case-scenario in my opinion.  That would indeed be “absolutely safe”. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by MotownVoice

[8420PR]

Vaccinations are great and very effective.  But still may not have stopped these three testing positive, and are not yet available to all Europeans.   In the interim period, we can get similar protection through other NPI (non-pharmaceutical interventions) measures such as masks, social distancing and testing.

 

The fact that these three passengers were identified as positive and quarantined, while the other 3,000 carried on their cruise holiday uninfected is a success and shows the measures work!

[sverigecruiser]

10 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

 

Without the word “absolutely” I might have acquiesced.    But that statement is false.   Having to offer compromised safety scenarios is MSC’s attempt to accommodate people who don’t deserve any kind of capitulation.   Vaxed passengers only … is the only best-case-scenario in my opinion.  That would indeed be “absolutely safe”. 

 

I meet unvaxed persons every day, a lots of them at work.

 

So I see no reason to feel unsafe on a cruise with unvaxed people. My concern is that the rest of the cruise will be cancelled or everyone has to be quarantined but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

Maybe vaxed passengers only in the US, if your authorities allow it, and other solutions in Europe.  

[Seanocelt]

20 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

This article is rather hard to read. I’m guessing it was auto-translated because some of the sentences don’t make sense. One of the hyperlinked articles mentions 3 positive cases out of 23,000 passengers. I know the ship doesn’t carry that many people at one time. So maybe it was 2,300 people or maybe they mean a total of 3 cases out of 23,000 people who’ve sailed so far. That’s an incredibly low number. Also, it looks like the protocols worked because the affected passengers were quarantined like they should be. Sounds like a win for MSC all the way around.  

Yes i auto translated it as it was a Barcelona newspaper, in Catalan, which is not the Spanish language i use. So errors in it for sure.

 

The low infection rate of all these cruises in Europe to date has been acceptable to MSC. I posted in order to update nothing more. Barcelona has just reopened the port and this was cruise No 1.

I go in September.

The worry i carry is, the isolation on board was  deemed  " horrible" an also if i was to test positive

( yes this outbreak was at the second last day, so the last test) i would face hotel quarantine too, which really is not palatable.

 

I agree about moving on and weighing up risk ourselves individually  . It is not risk free right now, it is low risk, but MSC look like sticking with their protocols in EU at this point in time.

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, Seanocelt said:

The worry i carry is, the isolation on board was  deemed  " horrible" an also if i was to test positive

( yes this outbreak was at the second last day, so the last test) i would face hotel quarantine too, which really is not palatable.

If you're that worried/concerned about this happening, I would say wait until next year. I personally don't deem the risk to be very great, but that's just me. If the current climate makes you nervous about sailing because of the remote possibility of an outbreak/quarantine, you're better off waiting.

[MotownVoice]

45 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

If you're that worried/concerned about this happening, I would say wait until next year. I personally don't deem the risk to be very great, but that's just me. If the current climate makes you nervous about sailing because of the remote possibility of an outbreak/quarantine, you're better off waiting.

Or...

Get vaccinated and not worry about anything.

Boom.

 

[DCGuy64]

47 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

Or...

Get vaccinated and not worry about anything.

Boom.

 

Well, yes, but that wasn't the OP's concern. His concern seemed to be that he could be stuck in quarantine because of someone else's illness, if I understood the thrust of his initial post. So his getting vaccinated wouldn't prevent that from happening.

[MouseBerry]

If you are vaccinated does not ensure you will pass any covid-19 negative.

The antigen quick test can be false positive when you vaccinated. It is even possible to get infected if you are vaccinated, but much more unlikely. MSC wants you to be tested no matter you are vaccinated or not. At least this applies to EU cruises. Not sure if this applies to US or UK.

 

What concerns me most is a false positive quick test which results in quarantine or forced disembarcation, if MSC and/or local officials do not wait for confirmation by a PCR test.

This to me looks like a high risk scenario.

[Atcodave]

For the U.K. cruises on Virtuoso, at least, the medical centre on board has PCR testing capabilities, as well as antigen.

[Seanocelt]

18 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

Or...

Get vaccinated and not worry about anything.

Boom.

 

I am double jabbed. Boom. Boom.

[Seanocelt]

19 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

If you're that worried/concerned about this happening, I would say wait until next year. I personally don't deem the risk to be very great, but that's just me. If the current climate makes you nervous about sailing because of the remote possibility of an outbreak/quarantine, you're better off waiting.

As others have explained, false positives etcetera  are my " fear" , i am fully jabbed, , but neither that , nor the testing systems are foolproof. And none of it is putting me off, i merely wanted to share the situation  on the ground ( and the sea)  here  in Spain. Many non Spanish speakers will be unaware and cruising has just restarted.   I could report weekly. Though i probably wont now.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Seanocelt