UnCruise Adventures confirmed today that the majority of last week’s quarantined guests were cleared and released over the weekend following a COVID-19 scare aboard.
The original COVID positive guest returned home just a few days later.
The company implemented a swift contingency plan and strict quarantine last week upon the news of a positive test onboard, the company said, and immediately canceled its four subsequent sailings in Alaska for the summer.
Revised news now shows all tests received back for guests and crew are negative and there was no transmission onboard. However, the season will not be restarted.
“Strict planning paid off,” said Captain Dan Blanchard, UnCruise Adventures Owner, and CEO. “We were able to act quickly, but that doesn’t mean this event has not been painful to our company and guests. Our policies held up and may be a footprint for future sailings and the industry.”
UnCruise Adventures worked in tandem with local and state officials which was an asset to the company and guests.
Most guests were not required to quarantine for the expected 14 days but began departing for home on August 8.
“We’ve been lobbying Congress for rapid testing that would change the game. We can all do better and are asking national leaders to work with us.” Blanchard snoted
Timeline:
• July 28th Identified guest takes a test prior to departure from home city.
• August 1st UnCruise Adventures returns to sail and all guests with a gap of more than the 72-hour requirement were retested at the Juneau airport.
• August 4th a guest onboard received communication from the State of Alaska of a positive C-19 test retaken at the Juneau airport.
• August 4th contact tracing was immediately implemented by the state.
• August 4th the identified guest and four traveling companions were retested onboard the vessel by trained staff.
• August 5th the 60-person passenger vessel, the Wilderness Adventurer returned to Juneau. It was operating at a 60% occupancy cap.
• August 5th all guests were securely quarantined at a local hotel in Juneau with costs covered by UnCruise Adventures. The crew quarantined onboard the vessel.
• August 6th all guests and crew were tested.
• August 7th UnCruise Adventures received negatives results back on all tests to date.
• August 7th 30 of the 36 guests were greenlighted by the State of Alaska to be released.
• August 8th guests began flying home.
UnCruise Adventures understands that accessible rapid COVID testing is needed across industries for businesses and tourism to return. More studies are showing that small boat sanitization is high and, in some instances, pose less of a risk of viruses than an average location that individuals visit in their local neighborhoods.
“Small businesses like ours have taken a considerable hit during COVID, and this was a big one.” Blanchard stated. “We have taken proactive steps and understand our responsibility to our guests, crew, communities, and the industry. Safety remains our focus and we will continue to accelerate protocol standards.”
