Covid Positive Part 2 - what happened next?

Bye Bye beautiful ship as it leaves us behind..

Well, as I mentioned yesterday, even though I am vaccinated and boosted and mask wearing etc I tested positive on check in for my cruise.

A huge problem for the cruise and for us. Especially at this time of year. 

So what happened next?

Remember I did not get COVID on board the ship and the ship had not set sail with me on it so really it was feasible for them to say we don’t want you, you are not our problem but they did not. 

Where could I go? 

It is the holiday season and all hotels on St Martin are full with travellers enjoying their holidays in the sun. There was nowhere to send us. The airline could not fly us home of course, the hotels were full and would not take a covid positive guest at any cost - why would they? 

The cruise line decided to accommodate us on an out of service cruise ship - the Windsurf which was parked in dock in St Martin. There is a full crew on board and actually a handful of other positive cases from the last cruise also in quarantine on board. 

What is it like? 

There is a doctor on board should anyone need it, - I am asymptomatic so do not.

An entertainment manager who tries her level best to keep our spirits up in a tough situation. 

The chefs prepare three fabulous meals a day, drinks, snacks. There are movies, cards, board games Tv etc. 

We have to stay in the room at all times. 

Protocol says we need to separate. 

I did have a bit of an ugly cry meltdown when they said I would be in a separate room from Keith.  To be honest I would have demanded to leave and quarantine in a beach shack if I had to as long as we were together but after much talking and us both separately accepting responsibility of him turning positive and getting sick, they allowed it. 

I would not have been able to do it alone I don’t think. Not right now at any rate.

The CDC has said that those who are unvaccinated should not cruise but I am fully vaccinated and boosted. 

It goes to show that the vaccine may have prevented serious illness but I still caught it from somewhere. 

Next point to note was that I got this in my small town. I hide in my office alone.. don’t come out much. I don’t socialize much and certainly don’t go where there are big crowds. This could happen to anyone. I was even tested at a clinic prior to my travel with a PCR test and it was negative. 

It is also important to note that the cruise lines are following really really strict safety protocols and doing everything right and the transmission on land is by far higher than the 0.2% transmission currently on cruises. 

Incubation for COVID is reported to be roughly 6 days which does mean that most cases of ship board COVID were contracted PRIOR to getting on the cruise and yet the cruise industry is taking all the rap for it.. 

The cruise industry are the ones that have spent millions on new safety protocols to add to what they already had in place which was high to being with. 1.1 million passengers have sailed on Royal Caribbean owned ships since June and we have heard of only small handfuls of breakthrough cases, fewer than on land. 

We were just tested this morning by the ship doctor- both of us… tomorrow find out who , if either of us is Positive or Negative.. Will we be released soon?