Current mask wearing/covid infections onboard

[Neecy1]

Sailing on Iona on Saturday. Just wondering how things are covid wise on the ships currently sailing. Do we need to wear masks. And are passengers being quarantined. It all seems to have gone quiet. Hopefully this is a good sign. 

[Britboys]

I think you just have to realise that the situation is very fluid. It seems that most cruises start without any requirement for mask-wearing but should significant numbers of Covid infections become apparent, that is subject to change. Passengers with confirmed Covid are still being isolated.

[Harry Peterson]

Andrew’s summarised it neatly above. If you wear the right sort of mask in potentially risky locations, though, you can substantially reduce your chances of ending up in isolation.

[Neecy1]

Thanks for your replies. Just seems to have got quieter though don't you think. Hopefully we won't catch it. Had it once. Fully vaccinated. Didnt even catch it on a recent weekend away with friends where we shared a room for 2 nights and my friend had it. Fingers crossed 

[Tablelamp]

For Harry Peterson,

What is the right sort of mask.  Any recommendations?

[Splice the mainbrace]

We have just come back from a 19 day cruise in Arcadia and there was no mask wearing requirement, virtually no passengers wore masks and staff was about 50/50. The same staff and passengers were around us every night in the Mdr so no people were missing due to illness. By the law of statistics there must have been some infections on board but wasn’t noticeable. I just wish that people had learnt from the past 3 years and if they have a cough would carry hankies rather than cough into hands!

[Harry Peterson]

24 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

For Harry Peterson,

What is the right sort of mask.  Any recommendations?

I use these, but the important thing is the FFP3 classification:

 

https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/p/dc/v000078852/   (3M 9330+)

 

FFP3 is the gold standard for disposable masks, and whilst nothing’s 100% effective FFP3s are, subject to fit, likely to get some way towards that.

[Yorkypete]

12 hours ago, Neecy1 said:

Sailing on Iona on Saturday. Just wondering how things are covid wise on the ships currently sailing. Do we need to wear masks. And are passengers being quarantined. It all seems to have gone quiet. Hopefully this is a good sign. 

There seems to be a lot of uncertainty about the current situation on ships. There are no figures given out for covid cases on P&O for obvious reasons and really it is entirely up to you about wearing masks.. Some do but most don't as it is not compulsary at present. It may change. Passengers are not quarantined unless you report you think you have covid and then they will test you and if positive they will isolate you in your cabin(if a balcony) for 6 days.

[yorkshirephil]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

I use these, but the important thing is the FFP3 classification:

 

https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/p/dc/v000078852/   (3M 9330+)

 

FFP3 is the gold standard for disposable masks, and whilst nothing’s 100% effective FFP3s are, subject to fit, likely to get some way towards that.

Good choice, also sometimes sold as N95, Amazon are selling packs of 20 for £9.99. 

[Neecy1]

Thanks for your comments. We'll prob just wear a mask in confined areas e.g lift or if we have the luck to see Gary! Just done our health declarations. 

[Denarius]

22 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Good choice, also sometimes sold as N95, Amazon are selling packs of 20 for £9.99. 

N95 masks are FFP2, not FFP3.

[Yorkypete]

2 hours ago, Denarius said:

N95 masks are FFP2, not FFP3.

We now wear the same ones the crew did on Britannia...FFP2NR by Laianzhi available on Amazon.

[Britboys]

5 hours ago, Neecy1 said:

Thanks for your replies. Just seems to have got quieter though don't you think. Hopefully we won't catch it. Had it once. Fully vaccinated. Didnt even catch it on a recent weekend away with friends where we shared a room for 2 nights and my friend had it. Fingers crossed 

I think it is quieter because we are all just getting used to living with Covid. Let's hope things don't go downhill in the winter...

[9265359]

17 hours ago, Neecy1 said:

Sailing on Iona on Saturday. Just wondering how things are covid wise on the ships currently sailing. Do we need to wear masks. And are passengers being quarantined. It all seems to have gone quiet. Hopefully this is a good sign. 

Sat on Iona in Lisbon at the moment.

 

Over the last 10 days I have seen no signs of any quarantine (red dots and trays outside of cabins, or areas blocked off), nor has their been any ‘gossip’ amongst the passengers about any cases. The ship did need to make an emergency stop yesterday after we left Cadiz so a seriously ill passenger could be transported ashore by the coastguard but there was obviously no mention of the passenger’s illness.

 

Mask wearing - perhaps 1 in 500 or fewer passengers is wearing a mask. Amongst the crew it seems to be around 5 or 10%, but that includes the crew that wear theirs under their chin until they need to speak to a passenger when they pull it up (presumably to protect themselves).

The questioning at the terminal on embarkation was “do you meet the COVID vaccination and testing policy” with an express ‘no we don’t want to see anything to prove it’.

 

Effectively things are little different to they were pre-covid - other than the staffing issues and associated changes.

 

 

 

[Neecy1]

9 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

Sat on Iona in Lisbon at the moment.

 

Over the last 10 days I have seen no signs of any quarantine (red dots and trays outside of cabins, or areas blocked off), nor has their been any ‘gossip’ amongst the passengers about any cases. The ship did need to make an emergency stop yesterday after we left Cadiz so a seriously ill passenger could be transported ashore by the coastguard but there was obviously no mention of the passenger’s illness.

 

Mask wearing - perhaps 1 in 500 or fewer passengers is wearing a mask. Amongst the crew it seems to be around 5 or 10%, but that includes the crew that wear theirs under their chin until they need to speak to a passenger when they pull it up (presumably to protect themselves).

The questioning at the terminal on embarkation was “do you meet the COVID vaccination and testing policy” with an express ‘no we don’t want to see anything to prove it’.

 

Effectively things are little different to they were pre-covid - other than the staffing issues and associated changes.

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time on your cruise to reply. Sounds optimistic. We will, of course, put a mask on in confined areas but looking forward to not being masked up all the time. Hope it stays that way. We shall see 

[9265359]

6 minutes ago, Neecy1 said:

We will, of course, put a mask on in confined areas

Obviously your choice, but lifts absolutely jam packed, theatre full, club overflowing - and virtually zero masked passengers.

 

Even where it was legally required on the shuttle buses in Spain (but not today in Portugal) observance was 50% on the buses out and 10% on the buses back to the ship. 

[galeforce9]

1 hour ago, 9265359 said:

Obviously your choice, but lifts absolutely jam packed, theatre full, club overflowing - and virtually zero masked passengers.

 

Even where it was legally required on the shuttle buses in Spain (but not today in Portugal) observance was 50% on the buses out and 10% on the buses back to the ship. 

We were guided by the Spanish driver in these cases who was not wearing one 

Edited November 9, 2022 by galeforce9

[Son of Anarchy]

2 hours ago, 9265359 said:

Even where it was legally required on the shuttle buses in Spain (but not today in Portugal) observance was 50% on the buses out and 10% on the buses back to the ship. 

Didn't know that masks are still required on the shuttles in Spain.  Thank you for posting.

[Denarius]

23 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Didn't know that masks are still required on the shuttles in Spain.  Thank you for posting.

I understand that they are still required on "public transport". Whether a private shuttle transfer provided by a cruise company and not available to members of the general public qualifies as such I cannot say.

[happy v]

In October they weren't required anywhere in Spain, Italy, or France 

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Didn't know that masks are still required on the shuttles in Spain.  Thank you for posting.

Public transport in mainland Spain did require masks back in June, so the shuttles follow suit, didnt check if that was still the case last month in Cadiz, but P&O do still request it for the shuttles, but compliance was patchy.

[jeanlyon]

And then you read this - Cruise ship with 800 cases docks in Sydney.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-63605824

[terrierjohn]

32 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

And then you read this - Cruise ship with 800 cases docks in Sydney.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-63605824

Why are our media bothered about cruises in Australia?

[Harry Peterson]

10 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Why are our media bothered about cruises in Australia?

Maybe because people are interested in world news, rather than just UK news. Possibly also because it’s reminiscent of the very first similar incident, and perhaps an indication of what can still happen.

 

Fortunately, though, things are very different now for most people, though isolation is no fun if you’ve paid for a holiday.