OPP Level 2!

February 6, 2012

Most who travel the world are concerned about the threat of terrorism or war. For those who are on a ship, however, the enemy we fear most is much, much smaller. We are obsessed with protecting ourselves from virus or bacteria. With a living and working community of over 1200 crew members, the ship is not only our office, it is also our home. With 2800 guests in our home at any one time, the odds that someone will smuggle one of these treacherous organisms on board is far too likely. Have you ever filled out a questionnaire when boarding a ship or entering another country asking how you are feeling upon entry. I’ve laughed at those when entering a country whose sanitation is far less stringent than the US. But I will never again lie about how I’m feeling when asked upon boarding a cruise ship. Sadly, many people do prevaricate, as they do not want to delay or cancel their vacation. The result can be unfortunate.

Our greatest threat, as previously mentioned is gastrointestinal disease, aka the norovirus. Many of you would call it the stomach flu, which is a misnomer. The flu is a respiratory infection. However, norovirus is the culprit that makes you sick to your stomach. Due to the close proximity of a ship, once it starts, it is hard to contain. When I left Silhouette for my four day jaunt to Virginia and back, we have been closely monitoring the number of cases among guests and crew. This virus is prevalent this time of year, and the number of cases was increasing, but still maintained below 1 percent of our population. Even still, we had implemented enhanced sanitation levels with extra cleaning and precautions around the ship. Sometime in my brief absence, however, the percent of stricken passengers began to rise dramatically. It very quickly jumped to almost two percent, and doubled again the next day. So, when I was greeted back on board I was immediately advised of the new OPP (Outbreak Prevention Plan) Level. We were now at Level 2.

And by the end of that day, we were at what is called Enhanced Level 2. With now well over 100 cases and still climbing, our obsessive nature for cleanliness really kicked in. What was fascinating is that among the crew the number of cases was still below 1 percent. Even we have constant exposure and interaction with guests our sanitation rituals were keeping the virus from spreading. If only the guests would follow our lead.

What are Enhanced Level 2 protocols? First and foremost . . . wash your hands! Sounds simple enough, right? But it is amazing how many people do not follow this simple maxim. Wash your hands after going to the toilet. Wash your hands upon entering the Crew Mess, or leaving the Mess. Wash your hands just to wash your hands at least once an hour. Now that you are clean, sanitize your work and living spaces. At least twice a day, wash down the high contact surfaces in your office with an oxidizing formula. Okay, now that you and your area are clean, assume that no one else is. No handshaking, no kissing, no hugging, no touching of any kind! In a bizarre but somewhat endearing ritual, if you really feel a need to shake hands, you touch elbows with the other person. As we moved deeper into the enhanced protocols, the officers were limited from going to the Ocean View Café, which is the guest buffet. And ‘self service’ for food was now strictly banned. The cafeteria lines in Ocean View and in the Crew Mess were now staffed and everything was served to you. You could not even pick up your own plates and utensils for fear you would touch someone else’s. Where did this extra staffing come from to perform this task? Officers, entertainers, gift shop and spa workers who were not on duty. Finally a person was posted at each door of the mess as the handwashing police. I am now dutifully cross-trained in that role, along with dispensing beverages and plate and utensil distribution. Very quickly you learn the particular preferences of each culture in both of those areas!

Despite all these efforts we were only making a small dent against our aggressor. So, on Turnaround Day in Bayonne, guests were delayed in boarding for three hours. In that period of time, we sanitized the entire ship top to bottom . . . TWICE. Every linen was stripped, bagged, and washed. Every remaining service was ‘fogged’ with Oxifer. Every crew member, regardless of their position, was engaged in this service. When the guests finally came on, they were possibly walking into the cleanest facility on the planet.

Did it do any good? We hope so. As of Day 2 of the new cruise, we have had only two cases among guests and two among crew. If we can get through two more days, especially our first port day in St. Thomas, we will claim victory for now, and return to normal operating conditions, Level 1.

Never again will I underestimate the power of a simple virus.

The adventure continues . . .