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With thousands of passengers aboard Diamond Princess in quarantine in Japan, the cruise industry has brought in a severe and unprecedented measure to try to prevent further outbreaks.
But the incident has drawn attention to the risks onboard cruise ships.
These are the key questions and answers.
What is the cruise industry saying?
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said that its members – which represent the vast majority of cruise ships – will “deny boarding to all persons who have travelled from, visited or transited via airports in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, within 14 days before embarkation”.
This has come about as a result of the spread of the coronavirus onboard Diamond Princess. The cruise lines are desperate to avoid any repeat.
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Created with Sketch.
1/28
Buses carrying British nationals travelling along the M6 motorway on their way to Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside
PA
2/28
A pedestrian wearing a surgical face mask walks outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where it is thought that two members of the same family who tested positive for novel coronavirus are being treated
AFP via Getty Images
3/28
Coaches transport the Britons and foreign nationals to Arrowe Park Hospital
Getty Images
4/28
A convoy of coaches carrying British nationals evacuated from Wuhan in China amid the coronavirus outbreak and medical personnel in a protective suit drive away from RAF Brize Norton
AFP via Getty
5/28
British Nationals arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, after having flown in from Wuhan - the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus
Tom Maddick / SWNS
6/28
A police outrider heads a convoy of coaches carrying British nationals from the RAF station
AFP via Getty
7/28
Passengers leave the plane
PA
8/28
Barriers are put up at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside, as they prepare for buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China
PA
9/28
Some of the eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan following a Coronavirus outbreak disembark a plane
Getty Images
10/28
Getty Images
11/28
Ambulance at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire
Tom Maddick / SWNS
12/28
The plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arriving
PA
13/28
Buses and ambulances standing by for the passengers
PA
14/28
Gaming consoles and toys being brought into the Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside, as they prepare for buses carrying British nationals from the RAF base
PA
15/28
The flight track of the aircraft
Flightradar24/PA
16/28
On arrival, the UK passengers will be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral and quarantined for two weeks
Reuters
17/28
A student wearing a face mask walks close to the Royal Victoria Infirmary where two patients who have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus are being treated by specialist medical workers
Getty Images
18/28
A woman wearing a face mask passes a Public Health England sign at Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty
19/28
Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton
Tom Maddick / SWNS
20/28
The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne, where two patients who have tested positive for coronavirus in England
PA
21/28
A woman wears a face mask in Parliament Square in London as the first cases of the virus to be diagnosed in the UK were announced
PA
22/28
Passengers wear face masks after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
23/28
A St John's Ambulance vehicle exits the Royal Air Force station
AFP via Getty
24/28
A pedestrian wears a face mask as he walks near the Houses of Parliament
AFP via Getty Images
25/28
Coaches arrives at RAF Brize Norton
Tom Maddick / SWNS
26/28
Passengers wear face masks as they stand with their luggage at Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty
27/28
A man wears a face mask as he walks along the Thames embankment
AFP via Getty Images
28/28
Passengers wear face masks at Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty
1/28
Buses carrying British nationals travelling along the M6 motorway on their way to Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside
PA
2/28
A pedestrian wearing a surgical face mask walks outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where it is thought that two members of the same family who tested positive for novel coronavirus are being treated
AFP via Getty Images
3/28
Coaches transport the Britons and foreign nationals to Arrowe Park Hospital
Getty Images
4/28
A convoy of coaches carrying British nationals evacuated from Wuhan in China amid the coronavirus outbreak and medical personnel in a protective suit drive away from RAF Brize Norton
AFP via Getty
5/28
British Nationals arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, after having flown in from Wuhan - the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus
Tom Maddick / SWNS
6/28
A police outrider heads a convoy of coaches carrying British nationals from the RAF station
AFP via Getty
7/28
Passengers leave the plane
PA
8/28
Barriers are put up at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside, as they prepare for buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China
PA
9/28
Some of the eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan following a Coronavirus outbreak disembark a plane
Getty Images
10/28
Getty Images
11/28
Ambulance at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire
Tom Maddick / SWNS
12/28
The plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arriving
PA
13/28
Buses and ambulances standing by for the passengers
PA
14/28
Gaming consoles and toys being brought into the Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside, as they prepare for buses carrying British nationals from the RAF base
PA
15/28
The flight track of the aircraft
Flightradar24/PA
16/28
On arrival, the UK passengers will be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral and quarantined for two weeks
Reuters
17/28
A student wearing a face mask walks close to the Royal Victoria Infirmary where two patients who have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus are being treated by specialist medical workers
Getty Images
18/28
A woman wearing a face mask passes a Public Health England sign at Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty
19/28
Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton
Tom Maddick / SWNS
20/28
The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne, where two patients who have tested positive for coronavirus in England
PA
21/28
A woman wears a face mask in Parliament Square in London as the first cases of the virus to be diagnosed in the UK were announced
PA
22/28
Passengers wear face masks after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
23/28
A St John's Ambulance vehicle exits the Royal Air Force station
AFP via Getty
24/28
A pedestrian wears a face mask as he walks near the Houses of Parliament
AFP via Getty Images
25/28
Coaches arrives at RAF Brize Norton
Tom Maddick / SWNS
26/28
Passengers wear face masks as they stand with their luggage at Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty
27/28
A man wears a face mask as he walks along the Thames embankment
AFP via Getty Images
28/28
Passengers wear face masks at Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty
What are the rights of people who are affected by the new rule?
A typical case would be someone who is booked to Singapore, Japan or Australia via Hong Kong in order to join a cruise. Their travel agent should right now be rebooking on another airline. If that’s not possible, the passenger should be entitled to a full refund of the cruise – including the air fare.
If the flight and cruise have been booked separately, the traveller will need to arrange alternative flights at extra expense, and try to claim the cash back from travel insurance.
Are cruises particularly susceptible to the spread of diseases?
Yes. A large number of people from all over the world are packed together in a relatively small space. If someone boards who is infectious, it is easy for that virus to spread. Every year there are cases of Norovirus spread on cruise ships: in 2019 the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported eight confirmed outbreaks involving seven different ships.
The worst was on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in January 2019, when 561 of the 6,285 passengers fell ill – representing nine per cent of the total.
Right now an unknown virus has caused 124 of the passengers aboard Caribbean Princess to be ill with diarrhoea and vomiting. That represents over four per cent of the people onboard, which is the average for the cruise industry – typically one in 25 passengers contracts an illness when there is an outbreak.
Princess Cruises has reported to the CDC that it is increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures.
Is the age of passengers a factor?
Not in terms of the spread of diseases, but certainly in terms of their effects. Many of the people onboard cruise ships are older travellers and therefore more at risk of serious consequences.
What can cruise passengers do to reduce the risks?
The main preventative measure is frequently and meticulous washing of hands, especially before eating.
The CDC recommends: “Take care of yourself. Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water. Resting helps rebuild your immune system. Drinking water helps prevent dehydration.
“Leave the area if you see someone get sick.
“Report it to cruise staff if they are not already aware.”