The cruise ship industry is self destructing. Given the realities of the recent pandemic which has virtually destroyed the industry, the ship operators are desperate to get their customers back on board. They are requiring that all their crews and customers be vaccinated. This requirement is not unreasonable. But their next effort at reassuring their putative passengers is a death blow.
They are telling all would travel with them that they will be subjected to frequent PCR testing for the dread virus throughout their time on board. They think that their passengers are bad at logic and will be comforted by the application of frequent testing. With just a bit of thinking they should realize they are going to scare away all but the dimmest travelers.
Given that the best vaccination against COVID does is to lessen the expression of an infection, but not prevent a vaccinated subject from being infected, frequent testing will inevitably ensure that some of those on board will test positive during the voyage. When the inevitable happens the cruise operators will panic and the trip will be attenuated or cancelled. The passengers may find themselves in a difficult position – literally. Confined to their rooms is a likely start.
The Princess Ruby is the latest cruise ship to have a COVID outbreak despite everyone on board being vaccinated. None of those who tested positive were more than mildly symptomatic. Why were they routinely tested? The smart traveller will stay away from cruise ships as long as they test asymptomatic passengers on a routine basis. The possibility of a disrupted vacation is too great to risk. I can’t predict when the operators of cruise vessels will realize that the policy of routine testing is more likely to keep customers away than it is to make them feel secure on what some describe as a floating petri dish.
