Expert says officials need to get passengers off coronavirus-infected cruise ship quickly


Thousands of passengers are stuck on a cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco because of a number of coronavirus cases on board. California authorities are working with federal officials to decide where to dock the Grand Princess cruise ship Saturday, but Don Milton, an epidemiologist at the University of Maryland, says the best thing would be to get everybody to disembark as quickly as possible.
Milton said cruise ships make people particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases. "They're not designed as quarantine facilities, to put it mildly," he told The Associated Press. "You're going to amplify the infection by keeping people on the boat."
He pointed to the Diamond Princess cruise ship which was quarantined in Japan for two weeks, allowing the virus to spread swiftly on board, as what not to do, arguing the fallout from that decision is all the more reason to move people off the ship into a "safer quarantine environment."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The ship holds 3,500 passengers and crew, 21 of whom have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. It was forbidden to dock in San Francisco over concerns it was the breeding ground for a cluster of more than 10 cases during its previous voyage. Read more at The Associated Press.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations amid DEI attacks but students are pressing on
In the Spotlight The commencement at Harvard University was in the news, but other colleges are also taking action
-
When did computer passwords become a thing?
The Explainer People have been racking their brains for good codes for longer than you might think
-
What to know before 'buying the dip'
the explainer Purchasing a stock once it has fallen in value can pay off — or cost you big
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows