Public Health Inspector: Mechanisms in Place to Prevent COVID Spread from Cruise Ships

John Bodden

Bodden is also Belize’s International Points of Entry Health Regulations officer. He said that in the case of an outbreak of a disease on a ship that docks in Belize, there are set guidelines that must be followed in order to protect people on the ground. He says that the last ship that docked with 26 infected persons infected proved that the mechanism in place is effective in preventing spread of the virus to civilians.

John Bodden, Principal Public Health Inspector, Ministry of Health & Wellness

“Whenever there’s an epidemic or an emergency on board a vessel, public health is the authority that is responsible for the necessary clearance. So, our port-tel officer, who would be a public health inspector, would visit that ship and that’s the first person that actually disembarks from the tender on to the vessel to ensure that it is safe for anybody to do any kind of interaction with that vessel. Once that is ascertained, then a clearance is issued to the vessel, so we ensure that all the necessary due diligence are conducted.   All these ships that are allowed now to make voyages to the Caribbean for cruise are approved by CDC, meaning that they have put in all necessary mechanisms for the prevention of COVID in play, so they had a reduction of passengers that are now coming to the country so when it was at 100% before now, it’s at at least seventy percent.”