Viral infections aboard cruise ships can be contained, but what impact would a norovirus outbreak have on Midland when paired with the U.S. government firing its cruise-ship health inspectors?
MidlandToday sent inquiries to the town, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Pearl Seas Cruises to explore how Midland Harbour would navigate such an instance.
In late March, roughly 2,400 employees of the CDC were laid off – including cruise-ship inspectors working under the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) – as reported by Amercian media. The decision was made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
According to the U.S. Federal Register, VSP inspections are paid through cruise-ship company fees and not by U.S. taxpayers.
Midland has promoted itself as a cruise ship destination over the past decade, and the Pearl Mist is scheduled to arrive at its harbour on May 28. Starting in Milwaukee, the tour travels over several days, through ports in Wisconsin and Michigan before crossing the border into Ontario destinations including Sault Ste. Marie and Parry Sound.
A spokesperson for the CDC responded to MidlandToday asking about the status of the U.S. cruise-ship inspectors.
“Critical programs in the CDC will continue under Secretary Kennedy’s vision to streamline HHS to better serve Americans. CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program continues its programmatic activities,” replied the official.
Those activities included: Unannounced sanitation inspections; monitoring and assisting with gastrointestinal outbreaks and the tracking and reporting for those illnesses; planning reviews for new and renovated cruise ships and equipment reviews; and variance review and processing.
“This work has not stopped,” added the CDC spokesperson, “as the VSP is primarily staffed by USPHS (United States Public Health Service) commissioned officers who were not subject to the reduction in force.”
Regarding communications between the CDC and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), when a gastrointestinal illness is detected as a cruise ship crosses the border, both agencies collaborate to share data and findings.
“Public Health Agency of Canada monitors cases of gastrointestinal illness on board all cruise ships entering Canada and works with federal and provincial partners to investigate and take collaborative steps to address outbreaks,” Anna Maddison, senior media relations advisor for PHAC, explained to MidlandToday.
When total gastrointestinal cases are greater than two per cent of passengers or crew, PHAC works with the cruise-ship operator to implement outbreak prevention measures, said Maddison.
“(PHAC) maintains regular, open communication with cruise ship operators, provinces and the U.S. CDC Vessel Sanitation Program. For ships leaving Canada and entering the U.S., PHAC will alert the U.S. CDC VSP of any ships that have reported gastrointestinal illness on board.”
Maddison added that to fulfill obligations under the Quarantine Act, marine operators would require submitting a Maritime Declaration of Health to PHAC; upon crossing into Canada, all cruise ships would need to report cases of gastrointestinal illness to PHAC “no less than 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours, before the vessel’s expected arrival at the Canadian port.”
As for what they might mean locally, Midland culture and community manager Karen Mealing said the town does not screen crew and passenger health of cruise ships entering port.
“If there are ill passengers and crew, we are notified in advance by the crew and ill individuals stay aboard the vessel, unless they need to seek medical attention.”
Mealing added: “If there is a quarantine on the ship, for example if passengers test positive for COVID-19, they don’t get off the ship unless the ship has made arrangements for passengers to disembark and quarantine in a hotel, usually in the Toronto-area near the airport.”
Any changes to the reception of international tourists would be dictated by the federal government, Mealing noted.
MidlandToday contacted Pearl Seas Cruises regarding health screening aboard the Pearl Mist, safety protocols and the impact of the CDC decision on protective measures. As of press time, no response had been returned.
Within Canadian waters, should a cruise ship violate health measures, Maddison explained that PHAC ranges “from outreach and engagement to a more enforcement-oriented approach of fines and summary convictions.”
Said Maddison: “Under Section 39 (of the Quarantine Act), a PHAC environmental health officer may order conveyance operators to take a number of actions when the Officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a conveyance, its cargo or anything else onboard the conveyance could be the source of a communicable disease, including cleaning, disinfection, review or procedures, et cetera.”
As per the Quarantine Act, a conviction on indictment for offenders could result in a $1 million fine and/or up to three years imprisonment, with a summary conviction adding up to a $300,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment.
From the CDC spokesperson, the VSP aimed to identify and address risks of regulation violators before becoming problematic. “Although very rare, VSP can recommend a cruise ship not sail if there are imminent public health risks.”