Tacoma, Seattle ports have ‘just in case’ plan for coronavirus; airport also screening
With the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle serving as international gateways, you might be wondering how they are prepared to deal with any potential coronavirus detected via sick crews or passengers on ships.
On Thursday the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency for the coronavirus.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance, which represents both the Seattle and Tacoma ports, has a plan in place, according to Akiko Oda, communications manager for the Port of Tacoma.
The ports have a list of precautions issued by the U.S. Coast Guard on Jan. 24 in a safety bulletin covering “vessel owners/operators and local stakeholders.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the main federal response agency.
So far, the alliance “has not seen any noticeable impacts on freight volumes from China due to coronavirus,” Oda told The News Tribune on Thursday via email.
A copy of the safety bulletin was provided by the port to The News Tribune.
Among the precautions:
▪ “Vessel representatives are required to report sick or deceased crew/passengers within the last 15 days to the CDC.”
▪ The Coast Guard is reviewing all “Notice of Arrivals” in accordance with current policies.
▪ Coast Guard boarding teams also are to be alerted “of any ill crewmembers on board their vessel prior to the Coast Guard embarking and Boarding Teams should verify vessel illnesses with CDC if concerns arise.”
▪ Local officials also are required to be prepared to follow “vessel quarantine and isolation” procedures.
A log of vessel arrivals for both ports can be viewed at nwseaportalliance.com/terminals/vessels.
According to Oda, “The NWSA has multiple weekly services calling from eastern coastal ports in China. Only two services have a direct inbound connection to Tacoma; all other services have additional ports of call prior to arrival at an NWSA terminal.”
Worries have grown not just for shipping lines but cruise ships, with at least one cruise line keeping passengers on lockdown at an Italian port before the passenger was diagnosed with the common flu.
Cruise lines have canceled trips to and from China amid the outbreak. Earlier this week, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was designated among airports to start screening air passengers arriving on flights from China for the virus. Screening started Thursday.
The Port of Seattle on Thursday afternoon offered a travelers update with its upgrades for Sea-Tac, including:
▪ Increasing use of disinfectant and cleaning in “high touch” areas at the airport (hand rails, escalators, elevator buttons, restroom doors, etc.) with an emphasis where international travelers arrive.
▪ Making hand sanitizer available to passengers at the airport.
▪ Coordinating with airlines, passengers, and workers to closely monitor any change in the status of the region’s health.
Additionally, CDC employees are contacting all passengers arriving from China with health and travel questionnaires, according to the Port of Seattle update.
Public health staff are also monitoring for signs of sick passengers at the airport. According to the update: “This screening builds on established infections disease protocols, which includes reviewing information received from pilots, flight attendants, or crew who are trained to spot and report symptoms. This also provides an opportunity to educate passengers on steps they should take if they do develop symptoms.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 3:22 PM.
