Giant cruise operators did the same thing during the Ebola outbreak in 2014, but unlike the countries most affected then, China has been an important market for tourism companies looking to snag more customers.
Cruise lines are putting strict measures in place amid concerns about the new coronavirus, including preventing anyone who has been in mainland China over the previous 14 days from getting on board.
The restriction will be in place “pending further guidance from global health authorities regarding the status of the outbreak,” Bari Golin-Blaugrund, a spokeswoman for the Cruise Lines International Association, said in an email. China has that same Level 3 designation from the CDC now, and the State Department raised its travel advisory for China late Thursday to warn citizens not to travel there. Also Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a “public health emergency.” Nearly 10,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed, most of them in China, and more than 200 people have died.
Anyone with signs of illness, including chills, cough, difficulty breathing or a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, will not be allowed on board. Passengers who come down with fevers during a cruise, as well as close contacts and crew members who served them, will be isolated in their cabins, MSC said.
Special health screening will be mandatory for anyone who has been in contact with people who traveled from or through China or Hong Kong over the previous 15 days; anyone who holds a passport from China or Hong Kong, regardless of when they were last there; or those who say they don’t feel well, or show any flulike symptoms. Anyone with a fever or low blood oxygen will not be allowed on a ship.
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