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I just received an email from Norwegian (I've cruised with them in the past). All new bookings can be easily cancelled for a 100% credit for a future cruise.

As for bringing a book in case of quarantine, it's not that peachy. Listen to some of the people who were quarantined in a 10x10 room for days.
 
Bring Lord of the Flies to read if you plan on going on a cruise. That's exactly the kind of conditions you can expect on a quarantined cruise ship with thousands of people little food and healthcare.

At least if you're on land in a place like Toronto and get the virus, you got lots of hospitals close by for emergency healthcare. What kind of healthcare are you going to get stuck in the ocean?
 
Coronavirus: thousands stranded on Grand Princess cruise ship after 21 cases confirmed

Crew and passengers from more than 50 countries stuck on ship moored off San Francisco, as global infections pass 100,000 mark

Graham Russell
Sat 7 Mar 2020 07.10 GMT

Nearly half of the 46 people tested for coronavirus onboard the Grand Princess cruise ship moored off San Francisco have returned a positive result, vice president Mike Pence has said, and the fate of its more than 3,500 passengers and crew from more than 50 countries remains unclear.

Pence said 21 positive results had been recorded – 19 crew members and two passengers – and that “those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined. Those who will require medical help will receive it.” He urged elderly Americans to consider carefully taking future cruises during the crisis.

www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: thousands stranded on cruise ship off California after 21 cases confirmed

Crew and passengers from more than 50 countries stuck on ship moored off San Francisco, as global infections pass 100,000 mark
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
Coronavirus: Italy reports biggest daily jump in death toll

The death toll from the new coronavirus in Italy has risen to 197 after the largest daily increase in fatalities there since the outbreak began.

Officials said 49 people had died in 24 hours, while more than 4,600 cases have been reported in total.

The country has now reported the most deaths outside of China, where the virus emerged in December.

www.bbc.com

Coronavirus: Italy reports biggest daily jump in death toll

Officials say 49 more people have died, marking the country's largest daily increase in fatalities.
www.bbc.com
 
Other states have also done that. Florida did it with two cases. It allows them to access federal funds if needed and to mobilize resources faster if needed. It sounds more ominous than it usually is in practice. In Florida for example, schools and businesses remain open, events are still going on, Costco is still giving out samples.
 
PinkLucy said:
Other states have also done that. Florida did it with two cases. It allows them to access federal funds if needed and to mobilize resources faster if needed. It sounds more ominous than it usually is in practice. In Florida for example, schools and businesses remain open, events are still going on, Costco is still giving out samples.
Click to expand...

Costco is stopping free samples in California, Washington state and Florida

www.usatoday.com

Coronavirus panic spreads: Costco is pulling free samples over COVID-19

In the latest casualty of the spreading coronavirus, Costco has suspended free samples out of safety concerns.
www.usatoday.com
 
Coronavirus: Northern Italy to 'quarantine 16 million people'

08 March 2020

Italy is set to lock down at least 16 million people in the region of Lombardy and in 11 other provinces in the north and east of the country.

The mandatory quarantine will last until early April.

The dramatic escalation in the country's efforts to contain the new deadly coronavirus will close gyms, pools, museums and ski resorts.

Italy is Europe's worst-hit country and reported a steep rise in virus infections on Saturday.

The new measures, which also apply to financial centre Milan and tourist hotspot Venice, could take effect as early as Sunday and will last until 3 April.

The death toll in Italy has passed 230, with officials reporting more than 50 deaths in 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases jumped by more than 1,200 to 5,883 on Saturday.

www.bbc.com

Coronavirus: Northern Italy quarantines 16 million people

A quarter of the population is in lockdown as Italy takes drastic action to control Covid-19.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
gabe said:
What a huge blow to Austin's tourism sector. :( If this thing keeps spreading, will we even have a Pride parade or TIFF this year?

www.bbc.com

South by Southwest festival cancelled over coronavirus

The world-famous music event in Austin, Texas is called off for the first time in its 34-year history.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
Click to expand...

At this point I would cancel the pride parade and Caribana. Yes it will be bad for the economy but in the case of Caribana specifically you are bringing people from around the world for the parade. In a pandemic situation this is probably the worst thing you can do.

No doubt the City of Toronto is in discussions with the organizers as to a contingency plan.

I think the City of Toronto and it's citizens would be very much ok with cancelling the parades given the situation. I would even be ok with cancelling the CNE.

I do not feel comfortable having Caribana or Pride this year. I am terrified at the potential disaster it could be.
 
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I got to thinking today about his Coronavirus compares to SARS and it strikes me how different things are now compared to then.

In 2003 with SARS there was a real and present danger. If you got SARS you were very seriously ill, highly contagious and at a high risk of dying no matter who you were or how healthy you were. There were travel bans, hospitals were sealed and if you got infected there was no debate on just how quarantined you were.

The WHO put in place travel bans and life grounded to a halt in affected cities.

There was no "self isolation", if you got sick you were forcibly quarantined and everyone you may have came in contact with was too. You could not walk into a hospital without submitting to an inspection.

Now in 2020, the number of infected people is higher but the deaths are lower. People are "self isolating", nobody is issuing a travel ban and nobody is being quarantined.

I lived through SARS, I was in and out of hospitals for appointments during that time in Toronto but they were stricter then than they are now even though this is made out to be an even bigger and more serious outbreak.

I cannot fathom why people are making such a big deal out of Coronavirus when it is nothing more than a potent cold. SARS was much worse and yet everyone seems to think that Coronavirus is akin to the plague.

Yes more people are affected now compared to SARS but the mortality rate as a percentage of those affected is much lower.

Just because there are more people infected does not mean it is more serious. When the death rates reach 10% then we have a problem but for now, the death rate is a third of what it was during SARS and yet we are treating this as a much more serious outbreak.
 
I wonder as well..

Will they still run the Queens Plate this year? I have worked there and it is many thousands of people in very close quarters an idea breeding ground for the virus.
 
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