Code Red and elevated sanitation measures

[King Salmon]

I am going on the Statendam southbound July 7. I was reading a thread today on a person currently on the Staendam and they said the ship is in a " Code Red and elevated sanitation measures". Does anyone have an idea on what this issue could be?

[spleen93]

Usually it refers to a viral outbreak (typically Norovirus) and that special cleaning precautions are being taken (such as extra cleaning of public areas, no self-service in buffets, etc. etc.)

 

Spleen

[peaches from georgia]

It means there is illness on board in a number of pax, usually a norovirus intestinal sickness. It spreads quickly, so they take extreme measures to limit the number of pax who contract it. In the buffets you are served and do not serve yourself or handle any of the serving utensils. In the dining room the stewards will hold anything such as salt and pepper shakers, bread baskets, etc. to limit the contact by pax. The virus is usually spread by contact, not airborne, so washing your hands continually and touching things such as railing, door handles, etc. as little as possible all helps you to stay healthy.

 

The ship is scrubbed and scrubbed again. There is a hand purifier to use as you enter the ship, dining rooms, etc. Unfortunately it takes some time to eliminate the virus on the ship, especially when pax who are ill or who are in an incubation stage come onto the ship week after week.

 

The measures taken on the ship to control and eliminate the virus is called 'Code Red'. Sick pax are requested not to leave their cabins and further spread the illness.

[DavidRoss]

Only 6 passangers have to be sick to go into Code Red. (3 for code yellow) The reason they do it with so few people is so that it does not spread... You may have read about the ship that had a few hundred people sick. (it was another line) My guess is that it got out of hand on that ship because nothing was done when just a few people were sick. Holland America is very good about taking action.

[jhannah]

Unfortunately it takes some time to eliminate the virus on the ship, especially when pax who are ill or who are in an incubation stage come onto the ship week after week.

Yep, this is a real problem sometimes. Remember a couple of years back when a ship had to cancel one whole sailing? They had to keep new infection off and give sick crew members time to get over it so they could start afresh. Was that the Rotterdam? I can't remember for sure.

[lka1012]

It was the Amsterdam. I know because I was on the sailing directly after the "cleaning". Or as I said, they dunked the ship in bleach.

 

You think being sick with a virus is bad on a ship, try while camping! I am a member of a historical re-enactment group which as camping events. One time someone came to a re-enactment ill and spread it to everyone else. We were all sleeping in tents and using port-a pottys. They ended up labeling the portas "Plague" and "Non-Pladue."

[jhannah]

It was the Amsterdam.

Ah. Thanks.

[sail7seas]

It's present in every hotel, nursing home, dormitory, school, airplane.....it's all over the place. The only reason cruise ships get the attention about noro like viruses is because when the number of cases reaches a certain percentage of crew and passengers, it must be reported to Public Health. No hotel has to report it. They have no way of knowing who (if anyone) is sick and their hotel and really don't want to know. Why would they voluntarily try to find such cases .....so they can report it in the press?

 

No one wants to be sick while on vacation. No one want to catch noro virus. But it isn't the end of the earth. Most people feel better in 24 hours. Yes......you do have to quarantine if you become ill so you will not spread it to others. Please have the decency, if you become ill, to think of everyone on the ship.......not only yourself.

 

I caught it. It wasn't pleasant. I have other underlying health issues which could have made it slightly worse for me. I got over it. You will too.

 

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. But it is no guarantee. I wash carefully and often. I probably touched the arm of a chair, a menu, table......who knows what??

 

 

[King Salmon]

Thank you all for your insite on this issue. I kind of figured that it was norovirus.

[lka1012]

Sometimes I have considered digging out my mother's old gloves. I wonder if wearing them could help "break the chain" whether it is Norvo, cold or flu. By wearing them, germs might not be transfered either from a door handle to me or visa versa. Also, they look really cool!

[sail7seas]

Sometimes I have considered digging out my mother's old gloves. I wonder if wearing them could help "break the chain" whether it is Norvo, cold or flu. By wearing them, germs might not be transfered either from a door handle to me or visa versa. Also, they look really cool!

 

:) That's a bit extreme. :)

 

Even if you wear gloves, you would only be protected if you never touched your nose, eyes, mouth.........If you were to touch a railing (or whatever) that had been handled by an ill person, the cloth (leather) of the glove would pick it up.

 

So, by the time you would take off the gloves, go to the washroom to wash your hands, come back out and about and go to Lido......who knows what you might touch along the way.

[lka1012]

I know S7S, but they still look cool. Besides the usual white gloves, there is a real cool looking blue pair that matches a dress I am making.

[jhannah]

I haven't seen women wear gloves for decades! (Except for Queen Elizabeth.) I agree with S7S ... gloves would hardly provide any benefit unless they were medical exam gloves or the like that you wore then took off and discarded when you ate anything. But then what about the menu Sail mentioned, or salt shaker? All you can do is wash frequently and well.

[elmorejj]

I love the retro look, I say go for it!!....jean:cool:

[sail7seas]

Whatever makes you happy. You want to wear gloves, go for it. Certainly you would remove them when eating, so........as noro protection, just touching the gloves (in order to remove) them, could possibly soil your 'clean' hands, just before you were about to eat. ;)

 

 

I see your next cruise is in the Caribbean. Might be a little warm there wearing gloves! :)

 

[lka1012]

Actually, I think it is more of the memory of my mother and her friends wearing gloves at coffees and teas; seeing the ladies in their gloves at church than actually wanting to wear them. In reality, I constantly carry waterless hand soad and am constantly washing said hands.

[alsas]

Actually it is 3% to go on alert and i believe 5% for code red. Happy sailing Alsas