corona virus alerts - Latest cruising Information for vessels/locations/rules

[Montanan]

The San Francisco Bay Area counties announce lockdown through April 7.
Six Bay Area counties — San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda — [population of 6.7 million] announced a “shelter in place” order. The lockdown, unveiled at a press conference earlier, starts at 12:01 AM Tuesday. It’s not a full lockdown, but it’s quite sweeping and strict nonetheless, as Northern California attempts to curb the exponential spread of COVID-19. Banning travel via “foot, bicycle, scooter, automobile or public transit” that is deemed non-essential. Exclusions include healthcare, purchasing “essential” supplies and aiding friends and family who require support. There’s also an exception for non-Bay Area residents looking to return home. Both airports and public transit will remain open under limited operation for essential travel, while requiring people to maintain a six-foot “social distancing.” The order will be in place through April 7. Breed added that the date could be adjusted, based on how things play out. "It could be amended to be lengthened or shortened," she explained, "depending on advice from our public health members." The team aims to prioritize three elements during the crisis: reducing community spread through social distancing, protecting vulnerable populations and protecting healthcare workers and first responders.

[El Pinguino]

Chile closing its borders tomorrow (18th) to all but Chilean nationals and residents.

[delmarrey]

They just shut down unnecessary travel here in Cavite.
Well, At least, it’s been cooler this year (on average), so far, since I’m stuck here in the Philippines.

There’s hardly any traffic up my street now. But that’s a good thing. Some peace and quiet for awhile. 🥱

[Paul L]

Malaysia shut its borders to all incoming yachts starting March 18th for at least two weeks.
Yachts trying to go to Sabang, Indonesia have been turned away.

[LittleWing77]

Montanan,

Remember, the reason half the French patients in intensive care are *not* elderly is triage. That will be universally true.

If a doctor has the choice of putting a 45-year-old with breathing difficulty on a ventalator versus an 80-plus person (who would likely die anyway) they are putting the younger, more-likely-to-survive person. There are a limited number of ventalators in any healthcare system. One town in Italy has 12 per 100,000.

That is also why there is such a high percentage of the elderly dying in Europe generally. Not only do the demographics of Europe, overall, skew disproportionately towards older/elderly people, there also are just not enough ventalators - so the death numbers are higher.

This is also the reason for the extreme measures we are seeing. If we can lengthen out (slow it, I mean) the rate of infection, those who will need a ventalator might have a chance of actually getting one.

Best wishes to you - stay safe!
LittleWing77

[slug]

I’m presently in Puerto Rico

Everything is shut down , only supermarkets , pharmacies and certain other business open

Streets are empty

Supermarket doors are closed , shoppers are let in one at a time to preserve social distancing inside the markets

pharmacies are the same , one client out , one in

I’m not familiar with port restrictions

I’m not familiar with the corona positive numbers

I see aircraft in the air so the airport must be still working

[Simi 60]

Could it be?????
‘

Cure’ found for coronavirus in Australia

A team of Australian researchers say they've found a cure for the novel coronavirus and hope to have patients enrolled in a nationwide trial by the end of the month.

University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research director Professor David Paterson told news.com.au today they have seen two drugs used to treat other conditions can wipe out the virus in test tubes.

He said one of the medications, given to some of the first people to test positive for COVID-19 in Australia, had already resulted in "disappearance of the virus" and complete recovery from the infection.

https://m.thechronicle.com.au/news/c...ralia/3973564/

[GordMay]

COVID-19 Vaccine Test Begins
U.S. researchers gave the first shot, to the first person, in a test of an experimental coronavirus vaccine Monday.
With a careful jab in a healthy volunteer's arm, scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute, in Seattle, begin an anxiously awaited first-stage study of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, developed in record time, after the new virus exploded from China and fanned across the globe.
Three others were next in line, for a test that will ultimately give 45 volunteers two doses, a month apart.
Monday's milestone marked just the beginning, of a series of studies in people, needed to prove whether the shots are safe, and could work. Going from not even knowing that this virus was out there → to have any vaccine in testing in about two months is unprecedented!
Even if the research goes well, a vaccine wouldn't be available for widespread use for 12 to 18 months.

This vaccine candidate, code-named mRNA-1273, was developed by the NIH and Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, Moderna Inc.
Most of the vaccine research, underway globally, targets a protein aptly named "spike", that studs the surface of the coronavirus, and lets it invade human cells. Block that protein and people won't get infected.
Researchers at the NIH copied the section of the virus's genetic code that contains the instructions for cells to create the spike protein. Moderna encased that "messenger RNA" into a vaccine.
The idea: The body will become a mini-factory, producing some harmless spike protein. When the immune system spots the foreign protein, it will make antibodies to attack — and be primed to react quickly if the person later encounters the real virus.
That's a much faster way of producing a vaccine than the traditional approach of growing virus in the lab and preparing shots from either killed or weakened versions of it.

It's not the only potential vaccine in the pipeline. Dozens of research groups around the world are racing to create a vaccine against COVID-19. Another candidate, made by Inovio Pharmaceuticals, is expected to begin its own safety study — in the United States, China and South Korea — next month.

More:
Moderna ➥ https://www.modernatx.com/modernas-w...ainst-covid-19
NIH ➥ https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news...ovid-19-begins
Inovio ➥ https://www.pharmaceutical-technolog...livery-device/

[4kMike]

Hi all!
We are heading to St. Martin / Marigot tomorrow. Anybody there? Checkin in, shops...

Stay safe!

Mikko, s/y Victoria

[merrimac]

Curacao has now closed all ports for everything but specific goods and reasons:

"3. Maritime traffic:
All maritime traffic is prohibited to enter our country with hte exception of certain cases such as the transportation of fuel, ships for repair, freight, etc. The local authorities have been informed of this list and will do the necessary checks."


By air they are only allowing in residents that have a return ticket and they are obliged to spend 14 days in quarantine (at home.) No foreigners allowed at all.


So even if they bend the rule and allow a yacht to stay, you can expect a 14 day on-board quarantine.

[Lake-Effect]

The province of Ontario has just declared a state of emergency (limited lockdown, with stores, transportation, and manufacturing continuing). Not a warm cruising destination (yet ), just thought you should know.

In case anyone hasn't got the news, NOW and the next two weeks are critical for limiting the rise in cases. You should be ready now to spend the next two weeks having as little physical contact as possible with others. Doing this will make a huge difference. Thanks and best wishes.

[toddmurray]

I want to sail my boat home to Canada. I'm in Cuba right now, and want to head up the coast of USA. Anyone have any info on any bans on Canadians trying to get home via a private vessel. Hope the ports stay open, Erie canal stays open, and Canada welcomes me home.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by toddmurray

I want to sail my boat home to Canada. I'm in Cuba right now, and want to head up the coast of USA. Anyone have any info on any bans on Canadians trying to get home via a private vessel. Hope the ports stay open, Erie canal stays open, and Canada welcomes me home.

To start with Cuba is an unfriendly country from the USA perspective. Noonsite suggests that foreign flagged recreational boats to route their passage to another foreign country before attempting to enter the USA. Specifically clearing in and out of the Bahamas [with a zarpie documentation of such departure] would disguise your travel to the country of Cuba. See comments below.

Canada is still allowing Yanks to cross the border [at least as of yesterday] so I suspect they would welcome you home, albeit likely with a 14 day quarantine being imposed upon arrival.

As to being granted a cruising permit to allow you entry to the USA ports, ???? I would call ahead to the Customs and Border Patrol office in the USA to gain up to date guidance. This is a very fluid situation what with lockdowns occurring and more and more countries being added to the Not Allowed to Come From List. For example, entry travel to the USA of persons that have been to Europe in the past 14 days is prohibited. So far the lockdowns in the USA have been permitting persons to return to their homes be that domestically traveling or foreigners returning to their home nations. But then you will be asking to be let in and they may say NO, stay at sea do not come into port.

Clearly you will have no certainty as to your ability to come or go so be prepared to have to remain at sea. Your recreational travel does not rise to the status of being essential and thus any county, city, or State that imposes a lockdown can inhibit your travel in or out. At a minimum I would plan to have to stay at anchor under the Q flag for 14 days before being allowed to make landfall and reprovision at any USA port, assuming that they will permit you to enter the US port. If I were you I would plan for the need to have to sail all the way to Canada without entry to USA ports as the worst case scenario. Not a good time to be traveling about, one can get stuck on the wrong side of a border. Might you just arrange for a flight back to Canada and leave your boat on the hard for the duration of the periods of quarantine.

From June 5, 2019: "The United States will no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, and private and corporate aircraft," the State Department said in a statement.

Commercial airline flights, however, will continue to be allowed between the United States and Cuba.

"These actions are directly linked to the tourism industry, which has strong economic ties to the Cuban security, military, and intelligence sectors in Cuba. Veiled tourism has served to line the pockets of the Cuban military, the very same people supporting Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and repressing the Cuban people on the island," the State Department said.

The Treasury Department said it would also prohibit exports of "passenger and recreational vessels, and private and corporate aircraft" to Cuba.

The new restrictions will take effect on Wednesday, when they will be published in the Federal Register, the official daily of the US government and the publication of record for laws, regulations and public notices.

The Treasury Department said "these actions mark a continued commitment towards implementing the National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by the President on June 16, 2017, titled 'Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba.'"

"These policies continue to work to channel economic activities away from the Cuban military, intelligence, and security services," the Treasury Department said.

National Security Adviser John Bolton said in an address in Miami in April that the Trump administration planned to put more pressure on Cuba.

"This administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the loosening of sanctions and other restrictions on the Cuban regime. These actions will help to keep U.S. dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services," Mnuchin said."

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by 4kMike

Hi all!
We are heading to St. Martin / Marigot tomorrow. Anybody there? Checkin in, shops...

Stay safe!

Mikko, s/y Victoria

Listen to the Government Radio station – 107.9FM – for official information, statements and news updates or visit the Government website: Government of St. Maarten or and Facebook Page: Facebook.com/SXMGOV

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

Passengers and airline crew: who have been in China (People’s Republic), Hong Kong (SAR China), Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea (Rep.), Macao (SAR China), Singapore, Spain or Germany in the past 21 days, are not allowed to transit or enter Sint Maarten.

The travel restrictions announced in Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs's second National Address on March 14th, 2020 are hereby further clarified.

On March 17th, only incoming visitors from the USA, Canada, Europe, UK and Ireland are restricted from entering the country​ of St. Maarten. This does not apply to St. Maarten/St. Martin residents, as well as residents and nationals of the surrounding islands whom utilize Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) as a transit point. Travelers from around the Caribbean region are not restricted unless they have travelled to the listed areas in the past 21 days. The current travel restrictions apply for two weeks starting on Tuesday, March 17th. Commercial and private/chartered airlines will be allowed to land and take-off after the March 16th deadline date to facilitate the following:

Visitors who are currently on the island, or neighboring islands, who are scheduled to travel out via PJIA in the coming weeks to return to their home country.
Returning residents of St. Maarten/St. Martin and the surrounding islands, who usually transit through PJIA, invited specialists and other technical assistants, to enter the country with valid travel documents.

"The restrictions do not apply to St. Maarten/St. Martin residents, nor residents of neighboring islands who transit through St. Maarten. All returning and transiting residents are reminded to continue to monitor themselves upon return and to notify their doctor should they start to show symptoms"

Embarkation Card Screening

All passengers must fill in the embarkation card in order to know where the passengers are coming from before the aircraft/ship arrives in Sint Maarten.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by toddmurray

I want to sail my boat home to Canada. I'm in Cuba right now, and want to head up the coast of USA. Anyone have any info on any bans on Canadians trying to get home via a private vessel. Hope the ports stay open, Erie canal stays open, and Canada welcomes me home.

You should park your boat somewhere down there and fly, if you want to get home now.

Besides the Cuba-US spat being an issue, things are changing so fast that there's no guarantees you'll be able to work your way up the US coast. You could be arriving in the northeastern states about the time things peak, barred from landfall, and the canals closed. IF Canada let you and your boat in at that point, you'd still have a 14-day quarantine.