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Too Fast? Clearing Passengers of Coronavirus on Cruise Ships

This could come back to bite them in the pocketbook.

I would think that cruise ship operators are very interested in getting passengers off their ships — before the coronavirus takes hold among the passengers. I'm all about speed in decision-making and action — but, this could be a significant tactical error that is being made that will turn into a huge strategic mistake that really impacts their economic futures.

See this article, Too Fast. All the Cruise Passengers on Westerdam Cleared of Virus Already? I made this point earlier in a blog post.

The summer cruising season is right around the corner. If it appears that one of the worst places to be is on a cruise ship because of the coronavirus, it could be deadly to the economic welfare of the cruise industry. People can take "stay-vacations" for one year and avoid the Petri dish environment of being on a ship. The norovirus, which is the more typical bane of the cruise industry, could look tame in economic impacts if the story is told, and retold of how bad it is to be on a cruise ship with the coronavirus.

Time will tell!

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.