On board Moon. Covid protocols relaxed

[bitob]

No more temp taking

masks optional for guests with a few exceptions 

no testing pre boarding 

 

there is supposed to be a letter in our suite later. I can post if anyone interested in details 

[zqtchas]

Still need vac records?

[Silver Spectre]

21 minutes ago, bitob said:

No more temp taking

masks optional for guests with a few exceptions 

no testing pre boarding 

 

there is supposed to be a letter in our suite later. I can post if anyone interested in details 

The no testing pre boarding is pretty worrying. That’s a real backward step.

[bitob]

20 minutes ago, zqtchas said:

Still need vac records?

Yes. 

[bitob]

1 minute ago, Silver Spectre said:

The no testing pre boarding is pretty worrying. That’s a real backward step.

Let me check exactly what memo says. We learned about changes from a slightly garbled captain’s announcement.  

[bitob]

FYI 

 

whwn we boarded in Barbados we were tested twice

antigen test at pier

pcr test immediately upon boarding

 

perhaps they are eliminating one of the two 

that would make sense

[bitob]

Just spoke to reception. Still many unknowns 

 

no temp taking

 

no masks for guests except in casino theatre muster drill tour buses 

 

post cruise testing will be by request. 
if your airline or destination requires a test you can have one. They are unsure if us will require test for entry.  This cruise ends March 11
 

pre boarding testing : no decision yet 

 

I found out we got the pcr test when we boarded because of requirements on certain islands 

[Lois R]

Thanks for the update. I wonder if cruises that depart from Europe will have different protocols or the line will do the same thing across the fleet.

[bitob]

31 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Thanks for the update. I wonder if cruises that depart from Europe will have different protocols or the line will do the same thing across the fleet.

They are going to follow local rules

 

very much in flux. This all just happened

 

I imagine they will publish something official

[Unibok]

Fascinating! And a bit worrisome. I'm interested to see how this plays out. Thanks for the updates, bitob.

[Observer]

I find it less worrisome if all guests/crew must be fully vaccinated (apart from extraordinary medical exemption).  I think a number of guests will opt to continue to wear masks, though not required, and they will no more be considered as freaks than people who wear eyeglasses.

Edited February 26, 2022 by Observer

[les37b]

9 hours ago, Observer said:

I find it less worrisome if all guests/crew must be fully vaccinated (apart from extraordinary medical exemption).  I think a number of guests will opt to continue to wear masks, though not required, and they will no more be considered as freaks than people who wear eyeglasses.

 

I remember very well my visit to Hong Kong in 2018 and noting the high volume of people wearing masks. It didn't seem to worry them too much. I had no problem in complying with the rules on the Moon and would continue with the "old" policy at least to the time getting an infection doesn't render you with 10 days isolation and sign on your door declaring "unclean".

 

I'll probably still forget my glasses though! 😅

[Silver Spectre]

43 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

I remember very well my visit to Hong Kong in 2018 and noting the high volume of people wearing masks. It didn't seem to worry them too much. I had no problem in complying with the rules on the Moon and would continue with the "old" policy at least to the time getting an infection doesn't render you with 10 days isolation and sign on your door declaring "unclean".

 

I'll probably still forget my glasses though! 😅

We just did our first LF tests and are both plague free, and will continue to mask up for the time being.

[les37b]

21 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

We just did our first LF tests and are both plague free, and will continue to mask up for the time being.

 

Excellent. Do you know if any of your Tobe visited countries need a negative test to enter? 

[Silver Spectre]

4 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

Excellent. Do you know if any of your Tobe visited countries need a negative test to enter? 

I thought the Seychelles did, but that may have changed. I also found out this morning that the temperature check has gone. IMHO that is a bad idea.

[les37b]

47 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

I thought the Seychelles did, but that may have changed. I also found out this morning that the temperature check has gone. IMHO that is a bad idea.

 

All simple non invasive checks should stay.

 

That said, my wife's temp remained at 36.1 and static during quarantine. Mine OTOH rose to 37.8...... though it turned out to be the dodgy reader SS loaned me.  I never could understand how the nurse and butler's results always got the reply "normal".My raised temp readings did also signal to me it was only a matter of time until I was positive, so I continued to stay out of circulation in case that happened and ensure I wasn't guilty of passing it on. That said, I did have close contact with the 6 guests who were in Quarantine and was convinced it may have been me. Obviously remaining negative it wasn't, but that niggly doubt always remained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jollyjones]

3 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

I thought the Seychelles did, but that may have changed. I also found out this morning that the temperature check has gone. IMHO that is a bad idea.

 

Temperature checks are an almost completely meaningless bit of 'Covid Theatre'. Many symptomatic Covid patients don't have a temperature at all, or only briefly (a few hours), and it can be abolished by taking paracetamol. Asymptomatic carriers by definition, don't have a temperature at all.

Temperature checks, by engendering a false sense of security, can do more harm than good.

It's all part of 'being seen to do everything possible' even if it's useless and misleading.

 

[jpalbny]

My thoughts and experience match that of @jollyjones. The temperature checks do very little if anything to pick up cases, and potentially lead to a false sense of security. Fever alone is a very insensitive sign of mild infection, and it's also quite nonspecific (as Les's experience showed). Even my sickest patients in ICU rarely had a fever.

 

Of course since I work for the government... our hospital bought into this fallacy and we had to line up at the doors for a temperature check in order to come to work. They kept up the charade for over a year. Even now we're supposed to be checking at home on the honor system before coming to work. Given that it's flu season, that might make more sense now but not as a screen for COVID.

 

For a medical facility, we should be doing a better job of actually looking at the data, and practicing accordingly, would you think? Though I understand and agree with the desire to keep cruise ships COVID-free, I don't think that this actually helps accomplish the goal.

Edited February 27, 2022 by jpalbny

[bitob]

18 hours ago, Lois R said:

Thanks for the update. I wonder if cruises that depart from Europe will have different protocols or the line will do the same thing across the fleet.

They are going to follow local rules

 

very much in flux. This all just happened

 

I imagine they will publish something official

[bitob]

Personally I would prefer guests mask up when they are off the ship

[les37b]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

My thoughts and experience match that of @jollyjones. The temperature checks do very little if anything to pick up cases, and potentially lead to a false sense of security. Fever alone is a very insensitive sign of mild infection, and it's also quite nonspecific (as Les's experience showed). Even my sickest patients in ICU rarely had a fever.

 

Of course since I work for the government... our hospital bought into this fallacy and we had to line up at the doors for a temperature check in order to come to work. They kept up the charade for over a year. Even now we're supposed to be checking at home on the honor system before coming to work. Given that it's flu season, that might make more sense now but not as a screen for COVID.

 

For a medical facility, we should be doing a better job of actually looking at the data, and practicing accordingly, would you think? Though I understand and agree with the desire to keep cruise ships COVID-free, I don't think that this actually helps accomplish the goal.

 

We've been summoned to return into the office 3 days per week..... there are no covid walk routes in place now, no testing and no need to quarantine if testing positive.

 

They still insist on taking your temperature at the entrance though! lol

[RachelG]

We did the silly temp testing for over a year.  Fortunately it has gone away as we now know that asymptomatic carriers don’t have a fever.

[bitob]

Fyi

a few passengers are continuing to wear masks

no one seems to care 

 

I think if I were immunocompromised I might do the same

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, bitob said:

Fyi

a few passengers are continuing to wear masks

no one seems to care 

 

Glad there is no tension over this and people are comfortable either way.

 

We still have to wear a mask at work, though NY State has dropped its mask mandate for business, etc. The first week or so of the relaxed standards, we still wore them in the grocery store and other businesses.

 

Finally braved it and went maskless last Sunday. It felt super strange. Still not used to it. Still see plenty of people who are wearing masks. Have to remember not to make funny faces and mutter curse words under my breath... just kidding... or not!

[Lois R]

It will be funny to wear lip gloss/lipstick in the evenings again😃........prior to this, I stopped wearing any because I wore a mask every time I left the cabin!