Future aka New Normal

[Indah]

For me, it's more about an insulation of the business model. I don't want it to be a race to the bottom price for dive businesses and then them complaining about it. I understand how daily tourists operations may struggle to comply, but i would like to see:

1) Dive operations to have proper insurance coverage and be registered licensed entities. You don't get a license if you don't have the proper business interruption insurance to protect your guests in the event of another covid. This may be escrow type of funding etc.

Is there really such an insurrance anywhere in the world? Which covers if your business is without any income, but still has many costs, for maybe as long as 1 year or more? An insurrance which also covers during a pandemic and other natural disasters?

 

[Indah]

Lion Air Group to Halt Flights Starting June 5
Garuda Indonesia Lays Off Pilots to Survive Coronavirus Crisis

 

[chillyinCanada]

I want to return as soon as possible. I would like to see, what I always hope to see but often don't, and that is cleanliness and clean habits of all staff.

Of course, the medical insurance is a huge problem. I've been struck ill on trips before but never so much so that I wasn't able to take care of myself and manage to return home (in one case prior to being hospitalized). But Covid19 is a different beast, so I'm concerned about that at this point in time. That said, I'm not getting any younger, and what will a life without diving in Indonesia et al be worth to me? I'm already a bit of a risk taker but I really don't know whether or not if I'm that much of a risk taker. It's going to depend on what the world wide status is when everything is back in place for travel.

 

[Indah]

What is considered "clean" is a very cultural thing. If I teach in senior high school here I often bring a rol of toilet paper. I ask the students why this is so very important to our guests. Of course nobody knows and you see the faces in total disgust when I explain it. The fact that often "rich" tourists wear the same smelly t-shirt 2 days in a row is not understandable for them. They would never do that. On the other hand, they would not believe it if they saw the very clean bathrooms and kitchen of the average western guest. Our task as owners/managers to educate and train our staff. But always keeping in mind where and in which conditions they grow up.

 

[chillyinCanada]

What is considered "clean" is a very cultural thing. If I teach in senior high school here I often bring a rol of toilet paper. I ask the students why this is so very important to our guests. Of course nobody knows and you see the faces in total disgust when I explain it. The fact that often "rich" tourists wear the same smelly t-shirt 2 days in a row is not understandable for them. They would never do that. On the other hand, they would not believe it if they saw the very clean bathrooms and kitchen of the average western guest. Our task as owners/managers to educate and train our staff. But always keeping in mind where and in which conditions they grow up.

That's why I count on the owners and management.

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

I just would not go without a good vaccine. Too many plane flights, transfers, layovers in crowded airports. Less worried about the boat than the travel and possibility of getting sick at destination or upon return.
Buffets in general are spreaders of many gastrointestinal diseases, would be just as glad to have them served not self service. I'd want to handle my own gear.

New coronavirus losing potency, top Italian doctor says

The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said
“In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,”
“It is clear that today the COVID-19 disease is different.”
“The strength the virus had two months ago is not the same strength it has today,”
“We’ve got to get back to being a normal country,” he said. “Someone has to take responsibility for terrorizing the country.”

If Covid-19 is possibly already weakening in a short period of time to just the strength of a common cold, perhaps a vaccine will not be of significance in the future

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

I wonder how all of you see, or want to see, scuba diving in Indonesia after all travel bans are gone. Assuming that there is not a 100% protection by a vaccine yet. What would you demand for the flights getting here? What would your requirements for the set up of the meals be? How should the diving be organized? What would be do do' s and dont' s? Thanks a lot for any input.

I've got no issues with flights or meals as they were, pre-covid—19. I hope that dive shops in Indonesia, especially the one's that market themselves as "Western Standards", that they don't start charging extra money for any ridiculous anti-covid gimmicks

One thing I wouldn't mind seeing, but I don't care really...is every dive shop's boat I've ever been on in Indonesia ALWAYS shares cups, 1 cup of either water, tea, coffee...the same cup can be used by up to 3 different people often. Perhaps a name tag or even better, sanitiser wipes to clean cups

 

[Angelo Farina]

New coronavirus losing potency, top Italian doctor says

The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said
“In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,”
“It is clear that today the COVID-19 disease is different.”
“The strength the virus had two months ago is not the same strength it has today,”
“We’ve got to get back to being a normal country,” he said. “Someone has to take responsibility for terrorizing the country.”

If Covid-19 is possibly already weakening in a short period of time to just the strength of a common cold, perhaps a vaccine will not be of significance in the future

I can confirm this from colleagues working in our hospitals. What people in other countries do not grasp is HOW BAD was the virus at its beginning here in Italy (and in Spain and Belgium). In other western countries, for example US, the virus outbreak was already of the "mild" type we are also getting here now. But for two months, the virus here was REALLY BAD.
This is demonstrated by the very different value of the Case Fatality Ratio: above 14% here in Italy, less than 6% in the US (and reducing).
Also inside Italy the situation is very different, with Lombardy being anomalously bad, and the center and south of Italy in much better situation.
There are not yet clear explanations of these variations in morbility and and mortality, both spatially and temporally.
I think that the alarm caused by the initial outbreak was fully justified, as the situation here was a nightmare. Who was not here cannot understand!
The lockdown prevented this to spread everywhere, and is now evaluated as not necessary in places where the situation has never been terrible, as it was here in North Italy in March.
But if no action had been taken and this bad situation had expanded to much larger areas, now we were counting several millions of deaths, instead of just 376.000 worldwide.
Better having exceeded with lockdown and safety measures than leaving the virus to spread uncontrolled.
Now, if the more aggressive version of the virus has converted everywhere in the mild form, possibly removing these lockdown measures will become possible everywhere. I really hope that this happens shortly...

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

now we were counting several millions of deaths, instead of just 376.000 worldwide.

I think several millions is a very far stretch. The death tolls are wildly disproportionate when comparing deaths from different countries. Misinformation is causing the most damage to everyone's lives now

But yes, covid-19 like all other coronaviruses will become mild like a common cold

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

like all other coronaviruses will become mild like a common cold

*like nearly all other coronaviruses, will become mild like a common cold