Read on Twitter
I've been asked by several people to comment on this, so, once more: Eric Feigl-Ding is not educated in public-health-related emerging infectious disease topics, as shown here. The Diamond Princess was absolutely 100% quarantined. Badly, but it was quarantined. #COVID19 #ncov
"Quarantine is a coercive social-distancing model that removes those who have been exposed to disease and might become sick, but who have not tested positive for disease or manifested clinical symptoms of disease, from the community." Quoting myself here. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338900711_6_Rejecting_Quarantine_A_Frozen-in-Time_Reaction_to_Disease
Now, onboard the Diamond Princess, where people were coercively quarantined with threat of punishment if they left the ship, things were absolute chaos. I've been talking about this for two weeks now; so has @aetiology, @MMFill, @PathogenScribe, and others.
The things that Iwata discuss - needing to use PPE, having red/green zones, etc - are part of what is necessary for people who are caring for those who are quarantined to reduce the spread of pathogen between themselves and quarantine people and each other.
The Diamond Princess asked cruise ship staff, who are not trained anywhere near the same level of infection control prevention, to not only be quarantined themselves, but to continue working as support staff for OTHER quarantined people. WORST. POSSIBLE. ANSWER. #COVID19
You know, @hilarx asked me about this on Tuesday - why had we seen so few infections among cruise ship staff. And while we talked about the numbers public at the time, I did also say that we might see a LOT more once they test everyone. And... we have. https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-coronavirus-quarantines-have-failed-health-law-ethics-experts-2020-2
And BTW, just so we're clear - if the rights of passengers were violated by the quarantine, they were even moreso for crew members, who were forced to work in conditions near-guaranteed to get them sick, and had the threat of job loss over their heads. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/dream-job-turns-into-nightmare-virus-fears-grow-among-diamond-princess-crew/2020/02/11/e65b54e8-4cca-11ea-967b-e074d302c7d4_story.html
Now crew members are entering another 14 day quarantine-in the cabins of folks who just left. Let's hope cabins were thoroughly disinfected between inhabitants.
Will they then have to quarantine ANOTHER 14 days if they go to home countries? Who knows! https://time.com/5785644/diamond-princess-crew-quarantine/
Will they then have to quarantine ANOTHER 14 days if they go to home countries? Who knows! https://time.com/5785644/diamond-princess-crew-quarantine/
Anyhow, TLDR: Feigl-Ding doesn't know what he's talking about, please ignore him.
Passengers & crew were quarantined. Being badly done doesn't mean it wasn't done. Diamond Princess will become a case study in why large quarantine facilities are difficult to construct. #COVID19
Passengers & crew were quarantined. Being badly done doesn't mean it wasn't done. Diamond Princess will become a case study in why large quarantine facilities are difficult to construct. #COVID19
