VI allows cruise ship to dock despite alleged Norovirus infection outbreak
According to the schedule posted on the BVI Tourist Board website, the ship was allowed in port. This is despite being prevented from berthing in St Maarten.
Persons upon speaking with some of the passengers flooded our newsroom with calls to say that they were taken aback that the Virgin Islands authorities let the vessel dock despite news reports on the prevention of docking at its previous port of call.
A press release dated Saturday March 19, 2016 from The Daily Herald, a St Maarten publication, said on Friday, March 18, 2016 a number of passengers on-board the Norwegian Gem Cruise Ship was infected with an infectious virus.
“The vessel was boarded outside Port St Maarten and was boarded by a Port Control Team that also included officials from the Ministry of Public Health and the Shipping & Maritime Authority, to gather further information with respect to the on-board virus,” said the release.
It said that while on board, the Port Control Team were informed of additional cases, and based on this information and after further evaluation, it was decided in the interests of public health that the passengers and crew should not disembark. “The causative agent at the time of inspection was unknown and the Captain was advised to return to homeport for vessel sanitation procedures,” it said.
According to the release, the cruise ship industry from time to time suffers from the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses, and the Norovirus is a very contagious virus and the one that is most prominent. “You can get the virus from an infected person, from contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up.”
It said Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships are common, and according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.
The release said that the Norwegian Gem which was outside Port St. Maarten left after the decision of the Port Control Team was made.
Concerns expressed by members of VI public
One of the persons who called our newsroom concerned said that while he was ferrying passengers from the ship on a day tour he overheard them talking about the ordeal of the passengers while in St Maarten. He said that he further inquired as to what they were talking about when they informed him about what had taken place there.
“I had a bus load of about 12 or 13 people and they all saying the same thing and then a lady told me the whole story,” said the driver. “They were blocked from docking in St Maarten because of a virus,” he related.
Another person called our newsroom upset that the ship was allowed to dock her despite the fears expressed in St Maarten.
"Our government don't care about us here. They still allowed the ship to dock at our pier just to collect money...all for the wealth and forgetting about our health," the VI resident said.
When this news site called the local shipping agent for Norwegian Gem, Islands Shipping and Trading Ltd., the woman who answered said that she was not the right person for us to speak with and that it was Sunday morning. She then hung up the phone on us.
Minister for Communications and Works Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) when contacted by this news site said he had not heard of the matter but said that the determination as to whether a ship berths or not for reasons of health is made by the local health authorities. Acting Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority Alfred 'Al' Henley when asked by this news site about the "infected" ship said he had no knowledge of the issue.
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33 Responses to “VI allows cruise ship to dock despite alleged Norovirus infection outbreak”
Minister of Health ? Well i tink he out witnessing
This is holy week. Dey busy wid otter bizz
Yall think its only Cruise passengers that does bring in Viruses ??? ... you ever stop to wonder about Passengers off the flights or the ferry?? Its the same way they can bring in Sickness in the country!!!!! So dont carry on because you get to know an insight of this mishap !!!! Because ALL ports of entry is a GATEWAY for Viruses ... And Viruses DO get in in the Country !!!
Given the size of the ship 1124 crew and 2358 passengers at 2% we are looking at around 60-70 sic persons not hundreds
(1:40 p.m. EDT) -- Norwegian Gem skipped a scheduled port stop in St. Maarten because of gastro illness Friday.
The 2,394-passenger ship, currently on a March 12 sailing to the Eastern Caribbean from New York, was scheduled to spend the day on the island. Over the course of the cruise, "a number of guests reported to the medical center with various symptoms of gastroenteritis after returning to the ship after a port call," the line said in a statement.
After consulting with public health authorities in St. Maarten, the ship will remain at sea "in an abundance of caution." Employees on Norwegian Gem have been carrying out an extensive range of sanitizing and preventative measures on board, the line said.
The Centers for Disease Control has not posted a report on the illness yet. The U.S. health authorities must get involved once a communicable disease on a ship sickens at least 3 percent of passengers; the number of sick passengers on Norwegian Gem is currently 2 percent, the line said.
Cruise Critic members onboard the ship have been updating the vessel's status. "I am impressed by the response of the ship," noted Kingmaker_Inc. "Several people have been quarantined. The ship has changed procedures around commonly touched items, such as serving spoons. Only staff can touch serving spoons and such in ALL of the restaurants."
Gastrointestinal illnesses have flulike symptoms, including vomiting, low-grade fever and diarrhea. It spreads quickly when many people are confined to a small area, such as a cruise ship -- but also hotels, schools and hospitals. The best way to avoid catching the illness is to wash your hands thoroughly before and after eating and when you use the bathroom. For more information, read our Editors' Tips: Norovirus -- What You Need to Know.
--By Chris Gray Faust, Senior Editor
The “good management paradigm” suggests that public and private institutions “do good by doing well and do well by doing good.” This approach has led to what is termed a “virtuous circle,” in which the social performance of good institutions’ feeds financial performance. Thus, the practice of “good management paradigm” clearly proves that being socially responsible does not hurt the bottom-line but actually improves it; and in its practice, immeasurable sustainable/supportive benefits are reciprocated- such as high levels of integrity, trust and respect from its people. I commend the Leadership of St. Maarten for the bold step taken to safeguard their people.