Covid-19 infection on a liveaboard at the Maldives

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

I have been on 2 liveaboards (to Cocos last month on Okeanos Aggressor 1 & to Socorro last week on Nautilus Belle Amie). They followed the COVID-19 protocols while we were on the boat. We were all PCR tested negative. I felt I was in a COVID-19 free environment while in the boats. I won’t feel the same if I were in a day-boat, where everyone packed together and without knowing whether divers besides me were COVID-19 free or not.

I agree with you about the liveaboard vs. daily diving. On the Emperor boat in question unfortunately there were no protocols followed. While they had a symptomatic guest they tried to cover it up infront of the others and they did not isolate that person. I think it would have helped.

I am glad that there are other liveaboard operators who take Covid prevention seriously. Thanks for sharing this info.

Costa Rica does not require you to have negative PCR test, unless you go to Cocos, then you need to get negative PCR test within 7 days before boarding the boat. That test costed me $130/swab. So, I and the other guests and especially the crews wanted to make sure we would be COVID-19 free during the trip. Our body temperatures were measured everyday. For the first few days I made sure to wear mask whenever social distancing wasn’t possible. Actually I felt less safe when I arrived in IAH. An overweight guy, in front of me, while waiting in line to go through the Global Entry immigration booth, turned around and started to talk to me with his mask on his chin.

Mexico also does not require you to have negative COVID-19, however Nautilus required you to get negative PCR test within 7 days before boarding. In addition to that, Nautilus gave me a body temperature log sheet that I required to fill out twice a day for 7 days prior to boarding. While on the boat, they continually measured everyone (the crew and the guest) body temperatures and recorded the numbers on a log sheet.

When it comes to the meal time, they controlled the number of guests in the dining room by dividing us into 2 groups of 10 guests, so we can spread out while eating. Group 1 would eat first for 45 minutes, then was asked to vacate the room so group 2 could get their turn to eat. The meals were served by the waiters. No buffet.

I am glad that you replied this here. It shows that there are operators who take Covid prevention seriously, unlike the Emperor company at the Maldives.

 

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

Moving around increases viral transmission in any population of animals. Which increases mutations, hospitalizations and deaths. Full stop.

It's really that simple. It has nothing to do with rules, policies, economies, or vaccines. Those things also affect transmission rates. That doesn't mean that moving around no longer does.

[Mod edit]

Well I have to say comparing humans to a group of animals seems rather degrading to me. I have never observed an animal keeping infection preventive measures. Can you please present some recent statistics that support your claims that (PCR-test controlled) international travel increases infection rates?

 

[Centrals]

I am referring to the current situation not the pre-pandemic in early 2020 when appropriate measures could have slowed (stopped) the spread. Most restrictions are implemented too late and/or completely inappropriately.
Besides this unfortunately people are "moving around" all the time, not only for "recreational reasons". And especially the people who are travelling because of their jobs are exempt from many (most) Covid prevention measures as isolation and quarantine, but even testing.

More important would be that people follow the rules of life with pandemic. This is NOT going away with the vaccine within 2021!

The current situation has not changed a bit!
We in Hong Kong still has nearly daily imported cases from people arriving even with negative testing result. They were picked up at the airport and now being treated properly.

This virus is still spreading by International travelling. Period.

 

[Esprise Me]

Some of these measures strike me as hygiene theater. A negative test 7 days before boarding? How meaningful is that? As has already been pointed out, the CDC generally considers people to be no longer contagious 10 days after they test positive, so it's primarily the people who are infected but not yet testing positive within the last week or so that you have to worry about.

 

[doctormike]

Well I have to say comparing humans to a group of animals seems rather degrading to me. I have never observed an animal keeping infection preventive measures. Can you please present some recent statistics that support your claims that (PCR-test controlled) international travel increases infection rates?

Humans are animals. The rules of viral transmission are the same regardless of species. Humans populations experience much wider spread of viral pandemics than other animals precisely because of our abilities to move around the planet. Timber wolves and bats don't fly half way around the world to dive.

Not sure what's degrading about that.

I don't have any statistics for you.

 

[Dan]

@Oliver Ohlendorf says: “I agree with you about the liveaboard vs. daily diving. On the Emperor boat in question unfortunately there were no protocols followed. While they had a symptomatic guest they tried to cover it up infront of the others and they did not isolate that person. I think it would have helped.

I am glad that there are other liveaboard operators who take Covid prevention seriously. Thanks for sharing this info.”

Thanks for posting this thread. I’ll be on Carpe Vita and Emperor Leo in March. So I have great interest in learning what to prepare & expect from them.

 

[Dan]

Some of these measures strike me as hygiene theater. A negative test 7 days before boarding? How meaningful is that? As has already been pointed out, the CDC generally considers people to be no longer contagious 10 days after they test positive, so it's primarily the people who are infected but not yet testing positive within the last week or so that you have to worry about.

My thought is if you are putting down thousands of dollars to go on this trip plus $130/PCR test, your effort (attitude?) towards avoiding to contract the virus will be very very high. I have been treating everyone on the boats as if they have the virus for the first few days and act accordingly, i.e., wearing mask, whenever social distancing is not possible, wash my hands often, etc. (BTW, Nautilus boat has those sanitizing bottles mounted every where in the boat). So far, so good, fingers crossed!

 

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

You are in over your depth here @Oliver Ohlendorf It is very difficult, if not impossible, to justify travel itineraries at this time. If you wanted to justify your own travel choices, you should not have brought this example, for all of us to criticize.

I did not bring an example for my travel choices as my mentioned travels all have been in the past, without getting infected by Covid-19. Also my travels are unrelated to the post itself.

I am not sure why most people criticising me are from the USA, one of the countries with the most infections per captiva worldwide. To me it does not have too much credibility while not being able to contain this illness in a developed western country...

 

[Dan]

After visiting Costa Rica & Mexico in comparison to my home country, I can see different attitudes towards this pandemic among them than at home. Sadly to say that we have more mask wearing deniers here.

 

[drrich2]

Thank you for posting; the link was a good read, even-handed, shared the good as well as the bad, factual and relevant without discrediting itself by devolving into a rant. The author can be proud of that.

Bedbugs, and initially tested negative people developing symptoms and requesting re-test/evaluation but initially couldn't get it, a guy has respiratory difficulty and they didn't have oxygen. 'Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing' lack of coordinated communication, management and problem solving. Sounds like they were winging it' the first time dealing with such a situation.

One can hope things get better in light of this experience, but while the pandemic is on, I think maybe the Maldives ought to drop off the travel radar for a lot of people.