As recently as 2019, an estimated 1.7 million cruise ship passengers visited Puerto Rico. These vacationers arrived on hundreds of cruise ship visits that generated over $150 million for the local economy. This all changed in 2020 when COVID-19 appeared causing a global pandemic, including several high profile outbreaks on cruise ships, which eventually caused the temporarily shut down of the industry.
Before COVID-19, some wary travellers associated cruise ships with outbreaks of acute gastrointestinal illnesses due to norovirus, but acute gastrointestinal illness is relatively infrequent on cruise ships according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other outbreaks that have been linked to cruise ships include influenza, foodborne illnesses and less commonly, Legionnaires’ disease.
The CDC states that outbreaks of infectious diseases can happen on cruise ships because people spend time close together and with travellers from many countries. Close-contact environments facilitate the transmission of respiratory viruses from person to person through exposure to respiratory droplets, aerosols or contact with contaminated surfaces. An outbreak of an infectious disease can also impact future voyages if environmental contamination is not addressed, or in the case of illnesses that can be transmitted from person to person, infected crew members remain on board.
“All of this has brought renewed attention to the importance of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and infection control procedures onboard these massive ships that can hold thousands of guests and crew members,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “Efforts to prevent the spread of germs from person to person, through the air and on surfaces, and from water systems and food sources, are all essential for the health of passengers and crew, as well as the industry.”
The industrial hygiene, infection control and IEQ professionals at Zimmetry Environmental support these efforts with the ship and port inspections, testing and consulting services. They also offer third-party verification of cleaning and disinfection protocols, employee training and more. These services help to ensure a healthy and productive indoor environment for crew members and vacationers and are essential for both the cruise industry and overall tourism on the islands. Zimmetry has even sponsored an educational video about IEQ and preventing the spread of germs on cruise ships that can be seen at:
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