Aronfeld Trial Lawyers founder and managing partner Spencer Aronfeld in Coral Gables. Aronfeld Trial Lawyers founder and managing partner Spencer Aronfeld in Coral Gables.

At least 38 states have reported outbreaks of the coronavirus as confirmed cases have surpassed 930 in the United States.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to grow on cruise ships as well. At least 21 people with coronavirus aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship were allowed to disembark after docking Monday in Oakland, California.

Among those infected were 19 crew members and two passengers. With more than 3,500 people onboard the ship in close proximity, this number was expected to rise. All American passengers on the Grand Princess were to be routed to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia for a 14-day quarantine.

The Grand Princess is not the only cruise ship with passengers and crew who have been infected with the coronavirus. Hundreds of passengers have been infected from multiple cruise ships. Off the coast of Florida, another Princess cruise ship, the Regal Princess, was held offshore for much of the day pending tests for crew members who were on the Grand Princess more than two weeks ago.

The recent events involving the spread of the coronavirus on cruise ships has been well-reported. While some of the major cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Norwegian Cruise Line are quick to offer passengers refunds, could more have been done to contain the spread of the coronavirus?

The International Cruise Victims Association (ICV) seems to think so. In an open letter to the cruise line industry, ICV is urging a change in protocol when it comes to the containment of illnesses like the coronavirus on cruise ships.

The business model of the cruise industry is based on emptying and then reloading their ships of paying passengers as soon as possible so that they may immediately set sail again. This quick turn-around of the ships becomes especially problematic now in the spread of the coronavirus as insufficient time is allowed for the proper and thorough cleaning and disinfection of the ship. We implore the cruise industry to reverse their profit-driven motivation and begin instead to put people and public safety first. – International Cruise Victims Association

Moving forward, cruise lines should be required to:

  • Hire an epidemiologist (with appropriate education training and experience) for each of the cruise ships which they operate, for the purpose of determining from a scientific standpoint the type and origin of disease outbreaks on ships. The epidemiologist should be required to submit such reports directly to the CDC and these reports should be available to the public on the CDC website.
  • Congress should require cruise lines not to begin the next cruise following an outbreak of any type without reasonable time period between cruises.
  • Congress should require cruise lines to pay ill crew members when they become sick.
  • Congress should require cruise lines to permit passengers to cancel/reschedule cruises without penalty when they are reasonably concerned about their personal health.
  • Congress should require the cruise industry to fully, transparently and timely disclose whenever there has been a disease on its ship before new passengers can board.
  • Congress should require clear protocols regarding passengers and crew members whenever disease outbreaks require a quarantine.
  • Congress should require the cruise lines to adopt clear and uniform protocols protecting their crew members from communicable diseases. Cruise lines should be required to provide their crew members with personal protection equipment (PPE) including appropriate masks, glasses and gloves.

The clear and present danger for the population at large, and especially those who are planning or are already booked on a cruise, require immediate action and a renewed commitment to public safety and precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Miami maritime lawyer, Spencer Aronfeld is the founder of Aronfeld Trial Lawyers in Miami. He is a board-certified civil trial lawyer and has successfully represented injured people and their families in accident cases against cruise lines around the world.