Cruise ships: The Petri dishes in which COVID can do its magic. And by magic, we mean can infect a heck-ton of people. This is because cruise ships are an amazing place for such a disease to flourish. Their patrons are super close together, they might be sharing food at a buffet, and who knows how many of them are triple vaccinated.
The Coral Princess cruise, currently off the coast of Queensland, is no exception. As per Faith Bulmer, a patron who spoke with Nine Media, there were a number of red flags being hoisted from the sails. The first being that folks didn’t need to get tested before getting on the ship. The Coral Princess instead implemented a “faith-based system.”
Another issue onboard was the fact that some people just weren’t wearing masks. Bulmer declared, “There was a lot of visibly ill people coughing and spluttering everywhere. She also noted, “I mean there were precautions but people just weren‘t following them.”
The final thing we need to discuss is the buffet. There are reports that there was a self-serve one that may have been used by COVID-infected people. Which is just what you don’t want while we’re still in a pandemic.
Related: How Cruising Will Change in a Post-Pandemic World
Related: A Third Wave of COVID Is Coming and Yes, You Still Need to Wear a Mask
As per the ABC, the Coral Princess cruise’s passengers are either now isolating at home, in accommodation, or onboard the ship. The Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said that the way everyone is handling this is all above board. She stated, “The virus is everywhere and there’s no escaping that, but I do want to acknowledge that the public health units, along with the cruise line, are doing all the right things and following the protocols in place.”
The Coral Princess has gone on the record as saying that they’re offering refunds to everyone. Which is the least that they can do. Nobody wants to spend their holiday time in a still ship, bored inside their own home, or potentially with a tiny hotel minibar with $5000 bottles of water.
If you want to learn some more about the COVID situation, then here are some handy links:
Fourth Doses COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available in Australia
Should the $750-Per-Week COVID Disaster Payments Return?
COVID Vaccines For Kids Under Five Are Coming Soon
Is Long COVID Real? We’re Closer to Understanding Who It Impacts the Most After New Studies
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