The working group Health and Work published an english version of its Guidance " Prevention and Management of COVID-19 Outbreaks on Merchant Ships –1st Update".
Core Messages:
- This guidance is intended to provide crews and, in particular, the ship’s command on non-state ships serving the commercial transportation of goods with options, with the aid of which they can react to the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses. Options that enable them to flexibly and responsibly address the specific features relating to the type of ship, size of the crew, shipping route and clearance in port.
- A particular focus of activity is on organizational measures to protect occupational safety and health; here it is especially important to limit external contacts with people who are not from the ship to the level necessary during stays in port.
- On board, general measures to prevent SARS-CoV2 infections must be observed during work hours and leisure time (physical distancing, hygiene, masks covering nose and mouth, and ventilation).
- Great importance must be attached to the control of ventilation systems because SARS-CoV-2 is often transmitted in closed rooms.
- High-quality rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) can make a considerable contribution to detecting and containing infection if they are held available on board. They can provide an intelligent supplement to testing strategies ashore and generally improve dealing with suspected infection in persons with symptoms, close contacts and other crew members.
- Crew members suspected of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 should immediately and consistently remain in quarantine, e. g. in their cabins. They should be tested using an Ag-RDT and retested by a laboratory with an RT-PCR (gold standard) in the next port of call, irrespective of the initial test results, and, if necessary, disembark.
- Persons with close contact to the infected person (contact persons in the “high risk exposure” category) should, if possible, immediately be put into quarantine by the ship’s command and also tested.
- Regarding the technical, organizational and personal protective measures, the shipping companies are also called upon to take the respective guidelines of their flag state into consideration and to observe the international framework conditions for maritime shipping.
- If there reason to suspect a contagious disease (particularly SARS-CoV-2) or in the case of a death on board, the health authority or the port health service in the nearest port must be informed immediately in accordance with Article 28 of the International Health Regulations (IHR) [1]. For ships on international voyage, the Medical Declaration of Health must be filled in and sent to the competent authority according to the local requirements at the port of call.