Norwegian Cruise Line announced new health and safety policies for guests for when sailing resumes which includes medical-grade air filtration used on planes.

The line has said it worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the policies, where passengers will find medical-grade H13 HEPA air-filters said to remove 99.95 per cent of airborne pathogens.

Other policies include more medical facilities including a dedicated Public Health Officer who is in charge of sanitisation and outbreak initiatives, reduced capacity throughout public areas and more.

The SAIL SAFE Health and Safety Program was posted on the line’s site earlier this week.

It has six key areas of health and safety addressed in the program and will be implemented fleetwide.

Here are the policies you will expect to find onboard your future NCL cruise:

Social distancing

The line will be implementing stagged embarkation and advanced online check-in. The line will also be reducing capacity in all public areas throughout the voyage.

While all activities will be available, they will be modified to ensure safe social distancing.

Enhanced screen protocols

The line has said all guests will undergo enhanced pre-embarkation health screenings and they will be constantly monitored throughout the voyage.

Onboard, there will be touchless temperature checks and continuous monitoring of guests and crew.

Checks will occur:

  • Prior to embarkation and disembarkation
  • Upon returning to the ship while in a port of call
  • Prior to all activities in public venues
  • Prior to all meals in dining venues
  • A healthy crew helps ensure healthy guests. Constant monitoring of crew health includes temperature checks multiple times per day as well as rigid sanitation protocols.
  • We’re enhancing our existing Pre-Employment Medical Examination process, which already screens for a wide variety of infectious diseases, to ensure the health and safety of our crew.
  • We’re exploring on board testing capabilities that will allow crew members to undergo the latest, most advanced form of COVID-19 testing at any time throughout their employment contract.

Increased sanitation measures

NCL has said that sanitisation of ships. Before and after each embarkation and disembarkation, the terminals will be fogged. And onboard, all staterooms, suites and public areas will be cleaned, sanitised and disinfected using Electrostatic Spray Technology.

Increased sanitation efforts include:

  • The disinfectant we use for fogging in staterooms and public areas is hypochlorous acid (HOCl). Hypochlorous acid is a non-toxic, powerful oxidant that effectively kills bacteria, spores, and viruses. It is natural and safe to use in open areas since it is comprised of natural elements such as water and salt, and electric charge.
  • NCL’s 24/7 prevention schedule will feature continuous disinfection of public areas and high-traffic touch points. NCL will ensure that cleaning occurs continuously for all elevators and all public areas during on and off-peak hours.
  • Buffets and beverage stations will be full service with staff available to serve guests.
  • All guests will be strongly encouraged to engage in frequent handwashing, including when entering food and beverage venues, and hand sanitizer will be prominently placed and easily accessible throughout the ship

Enhanced medical resources

NCL will be increasing their medical team fleetwide and will be introducing a new Public Health Officer. The Officer will be responsible or the oversight of all sanitation and outbreak prevention initiatives. Additionally, they will monitor the day-to-day cleanliness of all public areas and accommodations, maintaining compliance with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.

  • Enhanced health & safety trainings and continued education for crew members.
  • Webinars developed by our various health partners.
  • WHO and CDC materials are available to vessels and crew.
  • All crew will have public health training when joining the ship.