Timeline of events
· October 4th- We were notified of a Press Conference for the Carnival Dream rollout to discuss new ship/planned routing. Press Conference will be held October 8th at 8PM. **Be aware that some of our recent problems aboard Carnival Dream will be questioned by reporter.
Captain Allie Bowles, delivers communication daily. Prior to the Belize port of call, Capt. Bowles mentions our approved messaging communication when discussing excursion opportunities. The daily message shares information regarding Carnival excursions offered for the day, and provides a safety warning to be back on ship by 5pm. If an individual chooses to partake in an excursion outside of Carnival’s offerings (3rd party vendor), we can not guarantee that the boat will wait for passengers after the 5PM mandatory return.
· October 5th- Dr. Dwayne Ramsey, MD, aboard our fleet ship Carnival Dream, has confirmed one case of inhalation anthrax. The patient is in her late 60s. The ship left port from Belize just yesterday. Details are currently uncertain, but rumors have already begun to spread around the ship.
The woman is somewhat delirious, but said that she saw a white powdery substance on her table in the main dining room.
Brandon Massey VP of Compliance, Safety, and Environmental Sent out AM Safety Briefing on October 5th following update from onboard Physician, Dwayne Ramsey:
“As of right now we have no new information that this incident involved multiple individuals. The CDC and OSHA have assured that this incident cannot be spread from person to person. At this time, all guests are being informed that we are doing everything we can do disinfect all areas on the ship to resume normal operation. We have authorities and professionals waiting at our next port to double down on safety. We have confirmed our air filtration system has not been compromised, here is where we stand.
Steps we have taken so far:
· Alerted the CDC, OSHA, Authorities in Belize, National Response Center, Closest port of entry, receiving assistance on best practice
· We have made a list of all individuals, including staff who were near the substance we believe caused this situation
· We have initiated our Health & Safety Plan (HASP) for the clean-up of the ship with anthrax spores. You can follow the link to see the proper procedure https://www.osha.gov/dep/anthrax/hasp/index.html.
· All guests will be receiving a message from the Captain on PPE, Medical Screening, Cleaning and Disinfection procedures for the ship (Allison)
· Guests are being instructed to stay inside their rooms for their safety but are being encouraged that this situation is being resolved, and the steps we are taking in our phase planning
· All those who have been identified as high risk (those in the area where anthrax was present) are being closely monitored by our ship medical staff
· PPE is being distributed to each room and is encouraged for all passengers, mandatory for employees on the disinfection team (Holly)
· Our planned coordinated phase re-opening of portions of the ship that has been cleared by Safety team (Specifics to follow, Amarh, Brittani)
· Lunch/Dinner Safety Plan (Marissa)
· Communication Plan, Official Statement from Carnival (Natallia, Dan, Twanda)
It is important that we take this crisis step by step as this is just the beginning. We are prepared on the ship for these types of rare instances and have all the proper PPE and professionals on board. As far as we know, this is an isolated incident and it is our job to ensure the safety of our workers as well as the individuals on board. This is a situation is fluid, so please stay informed.”
Holly Focolos, Head of Ship Security (responds and secures safety of guests)
“As the head of security, I am issuing a mandatory STAY IN YOUR ROOMS lockdown until further notice. With the quick increase of cases, let everyone know calmly. Our job is ensure everyone is safe, so we can better monitor the safety if everyone is kept in their rooms. We need to be extremely careful, and I will continue to monitor on my end.”
Marissa Flanders, Director of Food and Beverage closes the dining hall and ensures that all guests are brought standard meals to their individual staterooms. Immediate sanitation occurs. Holly works with Marissa to ensure there was no foul play in the dining area based on surveillance videos.
Allison Bowles, Ship Captain- makes an all-call announcement over ship intercom, demonstrating the transparency of the situation to all guests, explaining the current information, and expectation for all guests to remain in rooms. All guests should expect a well visit by a Carnival team member to ensure they are not experiencing any signs/symptoms.
Dwayne Ramsey, onboard Physician ensures we have enough prophylactic I.V. antibiotics to treat 250 patients exposed to Anthrax.
Brandon- informs ship staff to not open decks until sanitation efforts are complete and guests completed a well check and are not experiencing anthrax signs/symptoms.
On October 6th- we were informed that 4 guests have confirmed cases of anthrax. The four patients consist of two couples. One couple is in their late 60s and the other is in their mid- 40s. All four appear lucid.
Investigators have still been unable to confirm the initial story regarding a powdery substance in the main dining room. However, both parties did take an unsanctioned third-party excursion to a local cattle farm in Belize.
Allison Bowles, Captain- provides all call announcement for patient exposure to anthrax update, all patients are stable and doing well and being treated with our on-board antibiotic supply. Ensures that transmission is not from person to person, those who are not experiencing signs/symptoms can resume normal activities. Captain also reaches out to Coast Guard to update on our patient count for anthrax exposure and informs them to be on standby if patients need to be airlifted to a hospital facility or closest health ministry.
Safety Director, Kakia Amarh/Onboard Physician, Dwayne Ramsey reach out to Belize 3rd party vendor to report Anthrax exposure after guests attended and inquire if other cases have occurred.
Marissa, Director of Food & Beverage- all restaurants/dining halls are open. Guests will receive chocolate covered strawberries delivered to stateroom and a bottle of wine (for those cruisers above 21). $100 Carnival voucher will be included in apology basket delivered to stateroom.
VERY IMPORTANT: Please continue to remind guests that their safety is our number 1 priority. We are prepared and trained to respond to this type of crisis. We will continue to be transparent with our guests and answer any concerns in a timely manner.
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