Public health provides protocols for cruise ships docking in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department places protocols and precautions for cruise ship passengers disembarking in Santa Barbara on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials have been planning and preparing for potential Coronavirus cases in the county.

Officials addressed concerns about arriving cruise ships in a release on Tuesday afternoon.

When asked what measures are being taken to ensure the safety of community members when cruise ships arrive in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County Public Health says cruise ships are subject to federal and global regulations.

Cruise vessels are subject to rules and regulations set by the CDC, the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) also sets standards for membership including medical care and public health.

CLIA has recently set cruise ship standards in response to the Coronavirus for companies that belong to their organization. This includes denying boarding to passengers who have traveled from countries of concern as well as increase screening procedures.

According to officials, numbers of vessels arriving in the Santa Barbara Harbor meet healthcare standards set by the International Standards Organization whose standards focus on a variety of topics including public health and infection control methods. The travel restrictions and healthcare standards will be applied to guests and crew members.

They provided a list of practices used by cruise ships to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus:

• Health screening of passengers and crew prior to boarding cruise ships to Santa Barbara
• Guests and crew are prohibited from boarding cruise ships traveling to Santa Barbara if there is a suspect travel history
• Sanitation measures are taken during the journey
• Reporting of communicable diseases to relevant agencies prior to arrival in Santa Barbara

Public Health assures that cruise lines have mechanisms in place to prevent the disembarkation of guests and crews who are being actively monitored for infectious illnesses.

Increase screening protocols prior to boarding the vessels reduces the risk of infection onboard.

Officials say masks are not recommended when a cruise ship arrives in Santa Barbara.

The CDC says that masks are not an effective method for the public to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses like the Coronavirus.

Public health reminds the public to stay vigilant and continue to practice routine hygiene methods to prevent the spread of any virus.

Public Health also assures that the situation that happened with the Diamond Princess is unlikely to repeat. They called it an "extraordinary situation".

Officials say during that time of the Diamond Princess incident, the Coronavirus was fairly new and screening procedures were not fully developed. Since then, many cruise lines that have stopped in Santa Barbara have developed robust screening protocols for crew and guests. Additionally, new government restrictions and advisories are in place to help mitigate the risk of spreading the virus.

If an inbound ship contains someone experiencing Coronavirus symptoms, the ship would be diverted to one of three West Coast quarantine stations in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

The County Public Health is working closely with its healthcare partners and providing ongoing guidance and alerts in close coordination with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The City of Santa Barbara relies on the direction from the County Public Health Department, the CDC, the CBP and the USCG with regards to infection control.

The CBP has jurisdiction and decision making authority in regards to vessel clearance, quarantine and other requirements.

USCG and CBP with guidance from the CDC are responsible for tracking cruise ship and cargo vessel arrival.

Additionally, they have increased the Notice of Arrival requirements for inbound vessels from four days to 14 days.

CBP and USCG are actively tracking vessel arrivals based upon crew demographics and recent ports of call and will evaluate every vessel arrival for potential exposure and/or infection.

As of now, the City has not canceled any scheduled cruise ship visits but will continue to monitor the situation and take actions based on recommendations from the Public Health Department, the CDC and the CBP.

To date, no instances of the Coronavirus have been identified at the nearby ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach or Hueneme.

To see cruise ship scheduled to port, click here.

For more information on the Coronavirus from the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, click here.