corona virus alerts - Latest cruising Information for vessels/locations/rules

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

Their epidemiological data indicates a global death rate of approximately 3.3%. 3 thousand divided by 89 thousand. A bit higher than the predicted 2%. European death rate is only 1.7% so far, so a bit lower.

Of course, that is based on the officially documented cases (typically requiring a doctor or hospital intervention...ie: the most serious cases). While they really don't have a good handle on the exact numbers, preliminary data suggests between 80-95% of cases are mild and never reported (varies a lot by country and date).

Honestly, at this point, it's out of the box. We are all likely going to get it, so I plan to continue living my life. My biggest concern is do I get trapped somewhere by the hysteria.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by atoll

thank you paul,is there a link to the Maldives info ?
there is no link for the Maldives in the noonsite link page

https://www.noonsite.com/news/novel-...try-worldwide/

No, this was from an email sent by an agent in the Maldives.

[JPA Cate]

atoll contacted us relevant to removing comments. The moderators are still discussing the issue. But for the meantime, I would like to suggest that people with epidemiological experience start a new thread to be called something like "Discussion of new breaking information relative to corona virus and Cruising". This would give more information, and some which would perhaps be helpful to members of the forum.
THANK YOU, GUYS, for your help.

Ann

[atoll]

��CORONAVIRUS WARNING��

I don't want to scare anyone here but the Coronavirus will soon spread in a irreversible way. The first means of contamination of bank notes, don't touch them. Wear gloves and place all notes in a snap lock bag. Leave them in your letterbox and message me your address.
Tomorrow morning I'll come by for collection and take them immediately for destruction. Thanks in advance.

JOKES aside there are vulnerable members of society that might even fall for something as simple as my weak attempt at humor,so just a quick warning about scammers , protecting your elderly parents and yourselves.

Beware of criminals pretending to be WHO

Criminals are disguising themselves as WHO to steal money or sensitive information. If you are contacted by a person or organization that appears to be from WHO, verify their authenticity before responding.

The World Health Organization will:

never ask you to login to view safety information
never email attachments you didn’t ask for
never ask you to visit a link outside of www.who.int
never charge money to apply for a job, register for a conference, or reserve a hotel
never conduct lotteries or offer prizes, grants, certificates or funding through email
never ask you to donate directly to emergency response plans or funding appeals.

Beware that criminals use email, websites, phone calls, text messages, and even fax messages for their scams.
You can verify if communication is legit by contacting WHO directly.

Phishing: malicious emails appearing to be from WHO

WHO is aware of suspicious email messages attempting to take advantage of the 2019 novel coronavirus emergency. This fraudulent action is called phishing.

These “Phishing” emails appear to be from WHO, and will ask you to:

give sensitive information, such as usernames or passwords
click a malicious link
open a malicious attachment.

Using this method, criminals can install malware or steal sensitive information.
How to prevent phishing:
Verify the sender by checking their email address.

Make sure the sender has an email address such as ‘person@who.int’ If there is anything other than ‘who.int’ after the ‘@’ symbol, this sender is not from WHO.

WHO does not send email from addresses ending in ‘@who.com’ , ‘@who.org’ or ‘@who-safety.org’ for example.


Check the link before you click.

Make sure the link starts with ‘https://www.who.int’. Better still, navigate to the WHO website directly, by typing ‘https://www.who.int’ into your browser.


Be careful when providing personal information.

Always consider why someone wants your information and if it is appropriate. There is no reason someone would need your username & password to access public information.


Do not rush or feel under pressure.

Cybercriminals use emergencies such as 2019-nCov to get people to make decisions quickly. Always take time to think about a request for your personal information, and whether the request is appropriate.


If you gave sensitive information, don’t panic.

If you believe you have given data such as your username or passwords to cybercriminals, immediately change your credentials on each site where you have used them.

If you see a scam, report it
Report a scam

https://www.who.int/about/communications/cyber-security

[atoll]

UK LIVE NEWS FEED FROM THE GUARDIAN
corona virus news,comment,alerts

https://www.theguardian.com/world/li...th-korea-japan

[atoll]

yachts arriving in Antigua and Barbuda,to be subject to more stringent health checks

Local health authorities are not leaving anything to chance as they seek to implement strict control measures to mitigate against the dreaded coronavirus, now being referred to as COVID-19.

Health Minister Molwyn Joseph announced during a recent news conference that attention will now be turned to the yachting sector, which he told reporters, is an area of great concern.

“We want to have a more formal processing of people coming on yachts in particular. We are going to be looking at the different areas where they are being processed in the Jolly Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard areas.

“Traditionally, we have a strong presence, but in the leisure craft area, it has not been so because the numbers are smaller than those coming off the cruise ships,” Joseph said.

The information from the minister comes at a time when Antigua and Barbuda is getting prepared to host a few major yachting events with an expectant increase in volume of passengers.

https://www.antiguaobserver.com/heal...res-of-yachts/

[Montanan]

Proper greeting techniques: No handshakes, high fives, of side of face kissing, instead something more like Doing the Hokey Pokey.

First put your right foot in, then your left foot in.

Or, your right elbow in, then your left elbow in.

Or, alternatively as the Italians are choosing to butt bump.

Reference video below for various versions:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-as...he-elbow-bump#

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Proper greeting techniques: No handshakes, high fives, of side of face kissing, instead something more like Doing the Hokey Pokey.

First put your right foot in, then your left foot in.

Or, your right elbow in, then your left elbow in.

The Japanese have it right: bowing.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

The Japanese have it right: bowing.

[Montanan]

Surfaces? Sneezes? Sex? How the Coronavirus Can and Cannot Spread

From the New York Times article.


A delicate but highly contagious virus, roughly one-900th the width of a human hair, is spreading from person to person around the world. The coronavirus, as it’s known, has already infected people in at least 60 countries.

Because this virus is so new, experts’ understanding of how it spreads is limited. They can, however, offer some guidance about how it does — and does not — seem to be transmitted.

If I cross paths with a sick person, will I get sick, too?

You walk into a crowded grocery store. A shopper has coronavirus. What puts you most at risk of getting infected by that person?

Experts agree they have a great deal to learn, but four factors likely play some role: how close you get; how long you are near the person; whether that person projects viral droplets on you; and how much you touch your face. (Of course, your age and health are also major factors.)

What’s a viral droplet?

It is a droplet containing viral particles. A virus is a tiny codependent microbe that attaches to a cell, takes over, makes more of itself and moves on to its next host. This is its “lifestyle,” said Gary Whittaker, a professor of virology at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

A “naked” virus can’t go anywhere unless it’s hitching a ride with a droplet of mucus or saliva, said Kin-on Kwok, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care.

These mucus and saliva droplets are ejected from the mouth or nose as we cough, sneeze, laugh, sing, breathe and talk. If they don’t hit something along the way, they typically land on the floor or ground.

To get access to your cells, the viral droplets must enter through the eyes, nose or mouth. Some experts believe that sneezing and coughing are likely the primary forms of transmission. Kwok said talking face to face or sharing a meal with someone could pose a risk.

Julian Tang, a virologist and professor at the University of Leicester in England who is researching coronavirus with Kwok, agreed.

“If you can smell what someone had for lunch — garlic, curry, etc. — you are inhaling what they are breathing out, including any virus in their breath,” he said.

How close is too close?

Practice social distancing.

Christian Lindmeier, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, said it’s best to stay 3 feet from a sick person.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that standing within 6 feet could carry risk.

How long is too long to be near an infected person?

It’s not yet clear, but most experts agree that more time equals more risk.

Will you know a person is sick?

Not necessarily.

Keep in mind that if you do get sick, most symptoms are as mild as a cold or the flu. Still, others who are infected with coronavirus never fall ill at all. (Technically, COVID-19 is the name for the sickness caused by the respiratory virus.)

But the flip side of this is that it can be hard to tell who is capable of spreading coronavirus.

In a growing number of cases, people without symptoms have infected others. The WHO still believes that most of those who have spread coronavirus were clearly ill at the time of transmission, Lindmeier said.

Can the virus last on a bus pole, touch screen or other surface?

Yes. After numerous people who attended a Buddhist temple in Hong Kong fell ill, the city’s Center for Health Protection collected samples from the site. Restroom faucets and the cloth covers over Buddhist texts tested positive for coronavirus, the agency said.

Technically, the virus widely known as the coronavirus is just the latest of many similarly shaped viruses. (Coronaviruses are named for the spikes that protrude from their surfaces, which resemble a crown or the sun’s corona.) A study of other coronaviruses found they remained on metal, glass and plastic for two hours to nine days.

Whether a surface looks dirty or clean is irrelevant. If an infected person sneezed and a droplet landed on a surface, a person who then touches that surface could pick it up. How much is required to infect a person is unclear.

Coronaviruses are relatively easy to destroy, Whittaker said. Using a simple disinfectant on a surface is nearly guaranteed to break the delicate envelope that surrounds the tiny microbe, rendering it harmless.

As long as you wash your hands before touching your face, you should be OK, because viral droplets don’t pass through skin.

If you are concerned about getting sick from someone who might have sneezed onto a product you’ve ordered that’s made in China, don’t worry. In the time it takes to get to the United States, you should be safe, and if you are really concerned, you can clean the surface with a disinfectant or wash your hands after touching it.

Does the brand or type of soap you use matter?

No, several experts said.

My neighbor is coughing. Should I be worried?

There is no evidence that viral particles can go through walls or glass, said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.

He said he was more concerned about common spaces than dangers posed by vents, provided there is good air circulation in a room.

An infected neighbor might sneeze on a railing and if you touched it, “that would be a more natural way to get it from your neighbor,” he said.

Can I get it from making out with someone?

Kissing could definitely spread it, several experts said.

Though coronaviruses are not typically sexually transmitted, it’s too soon to know, the WHO said.

Is it safe to eat where people are sick with coronavirus?

If a sick person handles the food or it’s a high-traffic buffet, then risks cannot be ruled out — but heating or reheating food should kill the virus, Whittaker said.

Jha concurred.

“As a general rule, we haven’t seen that food is a mechanism for spreading,” he said.

Can my dog or cat safely join me in quarantine?

Thousands of people have already begun various types of quarantines. Some have been mandated by health officials, and others are voluntary and primarily involve staying home.

Whittaker, who has studied the spread of coronaviruses in animals and humans, said he’s seen no evidence that a person could be a danger to their pet.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

[Montanan]

Since this is a novel coronavirus, new tests have needed to be developed and then moved into production; there being numerous techniques that can be used.

An update from today as to the availability of test kits and procedures in the USA. Just a few days ago, California had only 200 test kits and they had to be sent to the Center for Disease Control [CDC] in Atlanta, Georgia for processing. The ability to move testing to local and regional facilities and to have large quantities of testing kits will enhance screening capabilities and timeliness.

https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-updates.html


Diagnostic tests in the U.S.

After botching its initial attempt at a COVID-19 diagnostic test, and taking weeks to develop a replacement, the U.S. government has enlisted the help of private companies and academic institutions to expand the nation's testing capacity, The New York Times reported. According to "the estimates we're getting from industry right now, by the end of this week, close to a million tests will be able to be performed," FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a press briefing on Monday (Mar. 2).

Last week, the FDA enabled state and local laboratories to develop and validate their own diagnostic tests and conduct initial testing on their own, rather than sending samples to the CDC's laboratory in Atlanta, according to the Times.

The CDC tests use a Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR-based protocol, meaning they pinpoint bits of viral DNA in swabbed samples from a patient’s nose and throat, according to The Scientist. Many of the other tests in development follow the same approach, but some labs aim to use the gene-editing technique CRISPR [clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats] to highlight the target genes with fluorescent tags, The Scientist reported. Other groups are working to isolate antibodies from infected people in order to develop blood tests for the virus.

[JPA Cate]

As if cruising quarantine changes weren't enough, here's something else to be aware of, or two something elses.

1) Southern Hemisphere: in Australia, the new flu shots (target toward this years predicted strains of flu) will be arriving at GPs in April. Therefore, if you see discount flu shots offered somewhere, they are likely last years' supply, with different strains targeted, and weakened by age. (WHO has asked people to get their flu shots, to help keep hospital beds free.)

2) Where you find profiteering, report it to the appropriate agency. It adds to people's fears.

Above information gleaned at yesterday's routine checkup with my GP.

Ann

[atoll]

UPDATED INFO FOR PANAMA from noonsite
note #, attention those yachts that have new crew flying in see text

Panama:
Puerto Armuelles has closed as a port of entry until further notice. The next nearest port of entry is Pedregal.

The following information was provided by cruisers that arrived in Boca Chica from Costa Rica. We are waiting for official confirmation on the exact protocol at all ports of entry in Panama.

On arrival in Boca Chica, Panama, yacht crew now have to complete additional paperwork and questionnaire forms relating to the coronavirus. Health officials will make a rigorous inspection of the boat and crew.

Skippers will also be required to provide additional evidence of the boat’s whereabouts over the 14 days prior to arriving in Panama (including showing domestic zarpes from the last country/s, clearance papers, marina and diesel receipts etc.).

# "Yachts (or crew that have recently joined a yacht) that have come from an infected country must be quarantined for 14 days or will be refused entry into Panama."

Currently the canal authorities are asking for a health declaration and list of last ports of call.

In Cristobal and Balboa they are not enforcing any new procedures – yet – but probably will be announced any moment.

Panama Formalities
Information from Erick Galvez of Centenario Consulting, the Danish Ocean Cruising Association and the Panama Posse.

https://www.noonsite.com/news/novel-...try-worldwide/

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by atoll

UPDATED INFO FOR PANAMA from noonsite
note #, attention those yachts that have new crew flying in see text

Panama:
Puerto Armuelles has closed as a port of entry until further notice. The next nearest port of entry is Pedregal.

The following information was provided by cruisers that arrived in Boca Chica from Costa Rica. We are waiting for official confirmation on the exact protocol at all ports of entry in Panama.

On arrival in Boca Chica, Panama, yacht crew now have to complete additional paperwork and questionnaire forms relating to the coronavirus. Health officials will make a rigorous inspection of the boat and crew.

Skippers will also be required to provide additional evidence of the boat’s whereabouts over the 14 days prior to arriving in Panama (including showing domestic zarpes from the last country/s, clearance papers, marina and diesel receipts etc.).

# "Yachts (or crew that have recently joined a yacht) that have come from an infected country must be quarantined for 14 days or will be refused entry into Panama."

Currently the canal authorities are asking for a health declaration and list of last ports of call.

In Cristobal and Balboa they are not enforcing any new procedures – yet – but probably will be announced any moment.

Panama Formalities
Information from Erick Galvez of Centenario Consulting, the Danish Ocean Cruising Association and the Panama Posse.

https://www.noonsite.com/news/novel-...try-worldwide/

And so it begins, the allowed ports of entry will become consolidated so as to ease health screening and one will need to show proof of last ports of entry and to have defined periods of ship board quarantine.

This behooves cruisers to be sure to properly clear out from their ports of departure and to obtain official documentation from immigration as to their date and place of exiting before transiting to a new port. Often cruisers fail to pursue the immigration exit procedures and documentation that negligent and casual practice should come to an end.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Montanan

And so it begins, the allowed ports of entry will become consolidated so as to ease health screening and one will need to show proof of last ports of entry and to have defined periods of ship board quarantine.

This behooves cruisers to be sure to properly clear out from their ports of departure and to obtain official documentation from immigration as to their date and place of exiting before transiting to a new port. Often cruisers fail to pursue the immigration exit procedures and documentation that negligent and casual practice should come to an end.

yes indeed very good points.

my observation was about new crew flying in from an infected area and being quarantined on arrival.
this could cause some major head aches for yachts that have arranged for crew to fly in from Europe or usa etc and join vessels getting ready to transit and leave panama for their pacific crossing,with many still leaving at this time for the south pacific.