"The Covid-19 outbreak has highlighted cruise ships as high-risk zones for the spread of infectious diseases as passengers spend time in close proximity during activities onboard. The spread of diseases is exacerbated as passengers originate from and disembark to different countries," ICF Group said in a statement.
"Hence, the cruise industry is hoping to introduce strict new protocols to help increase client safety and to help customers regain confidence in the industry. New measures before departure include temperature screening, medical and health reviews and an antigen Covid-19 swab test. However due to the incubation period of certain viruses, this itself is not sufficient in preventing, controlling and fighting the diseases. Hence, cruise lines around the world are working to control the risk of disease outbreak onboard during voyage," the company said.
ICF Group is helping cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Dream Cruises, etc. resume services after the outbreak. This includes medical room enhancement with an isolated red-zone area for passengers having Covid-19 symptoms and green zone for others. Additional measures include ventilation filtering and duct work modification to minimize risks of disease spread to green zone.
ICF Group will continue to work with other cruise lines to help them resume services after the COVID-19 outbreak.
