Good afternoon. This extended announcement provides updates on several matters of great import to all of us aboard the Sapphire Prince. As before and as always with these ship-wide announcements, any programming you may have been enjoying has been paused, for you to rejoin, restart, or otherwise re-engage with as you wish at this speech’s conclusion.

Those of you who’ve been following world events are aware of the devastating impact of COVID-19 disease, accelerating presently in the United States especially, and elsewhere around the world. Thanks to your diligent efforts and cooperation remaining confined to your staterooms, along with the exemplary work of our dedicated on-ship and visiting medical staff and all our crew and employees, we have kept the disease from being as devastating as it is capable of being. The disease is and has been widespread across the ship, as myself and the many of you who’ve come down with it and experienced symptoms well know. I am currently in Day 12 of the illness since first showing symptoms, and remain in quarantine. First Deck Officer Ellen Glenn has been ably serving as captain of this ship during the acute phases of my illness, able to fully put her years of experience to excellent use running this ship and interfacing with the outer world when I could not, for all our benefit. I urge you all to take a moment to thank her for stepping into this essential role at this critical time.

Acting Captain Glenn and myself have been actively engaging relevant authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere to get you all who are our guests off this ship and back home. I am pleased to report that we are days away from allowing those of you from most nations of the world to disembark, with Royal Prince Cruise Lines and representatives from your home nations working together to get you swiftly repatriated. I am bitterly disappointed to report that the situation is far messier for our many U.S. citizens traveling with us on this cruise. Negotiations are ongoing, so far making insufficient progress for me to specify any time frame. For the foreseeable near-term future, U.S. citizens will be required to remain in quarantine on this ship.

It is not without basis that authorities are compelling us to quarantine on-ship: while most people will develop minor symptoms if any at all, this is a very easily spread, fast-spreading disease which can be vicious to certain individuals for reasons not yet sufficiently clear. While as a sweeping generalization it is true that certain underlying health conditions, especially lung-related, and age exacerbate severity of COVID-19, individuals in their 20s with no known underlying health conditions have fallen gravely ill and died. Nurse Dana Knight of our Infirmary was barely over the threshold into her 40s, healthy as far as anyone including herself knew, with no underlying health conditions. Despite the correct use of what little personal protective equipment we had on board until arriving here in Coos Bay, she developed COVID-19. Despite her intrinsic health and wellness knowledge, healthy lifestyle, and being part of our Infirmary, she fell gravely ill. She died this past Tuesday 24 March in Coos Bay’s local hospital’s intensive care ward. Please, let us all together take a minute of silence in honor of Nurse Knight, and anyone else you may personally know who has succumbed to this terrible illness.

Clearly, this is a serious life-altering disease, which experts indicate may be with us for a very long time. Your ongoing cooperation remains essential to keep COVID-19 from spreading to those not yet infected—especially those at great risk.

Striking a balance between protecting those most at risk and allowing those unaffected by the disease or who have successfully recovered from it is challenging to say the least. Were U.S. authorities more cooperative and sanely allowing all of you who are our guests off this ship so that we of Royal Prince Cruise Lines could then facilitate getting you swiftly home, such would have already happened and we would not all still be here living through this extended experience. Much as I would love to do so, neither myself nor anyone else amongst crew or staff can as of yet allow anyone off the ship, apart from being near-death and released by ambulance to the local hospital as I’ve mentioned. I do have the power to adjust the conditions of quarantine, and that is what is happening as of 0800 tomorrow morning.

Please carefully note that time: what I am about to tell you is not in effect until tomorrow morning—Monday morning—at 8 AM. I am telling you now in advance to avoid any rushing and/or misunderstanding in the understandable hurry many of you might be in to get out of your staterooms. As well a number of possible destinations outside your stateroom will require advanced reservations.

Starting 0800 tomorrow, we are moving from our current Quarantine Level 3 to a Modified Quarantine Level 1. This is similar to, but different from, the standard Level 1 Quarantine we all experienced back on Thursday 12 March. Actively ill people, those who feel they may be ill and/or contagious, and those at significant risk if they fall ill must all remain in your staterooms. Room service and other services to you as they currently exist under our current Level 3 Quarantine will continue. If you have any doubt about whether or not you are in this category, please be your best, kindest self and do us all and yourself the favor of remaining in self-quarantine.

There are 2 other classes of people besides those just mentioned: those who know they’ve been ill and have recovered, and those who may or may not have been ill and have had no symptoms. Starting no earlier than 8 AM tomorrow, those of you in either of these classes will be able to leave your staterooms and participate in certain limited activities elsewhere on the ship.

Because each stateroom deck consists of a mix of cruisers in each of the 3 major categories, everyone is required to wear a mask and practice full social distancing protocols outside one’s stateroom and anywhere on any of these decks, namely Grandview, Vista, Upper Promenade, Dolphin, Porpoise, and Sea Star. This is necessary even for those of you who know you have had COVID-19 symptoms and have recovered, as we remain unable to do testing and not enough is yet known regarding how long and under what circumstances people remain contagious.

Please note that beyond all ship restrooms being well-stocked with liquid soap wholly suitable for proper sanitary hand washing per the U.S. CDC, there are now hand sanitizer stations deployed on all decks, installed primarily in the highest traffic common-use areas. CDC notes that soap and water are preferred, but qualified hand sanitizer as we have deployed is sufficient.

The following information applies only to those of you who have never had any symptoms of illness. Without testing we cannot know whether you have yet to encounter COVID-19, may have already had it and developed antibodies against it, or may even have a subclinical case and be actively carrying it. Due to that last possibility I am taking a huge risk allowing those of you in this class outside your staterooms. I consider it inhumane to confine anyone to a limited space such as a stateroom, nice as ours are, unless there is no alternative. Given the relevant authorities’ foot-dragging, I am taking this risk, imploring you for your cooperation.

The Sun Deck and Sports Deck are reserved for those in the no-symptoms class only. Because of the hypothesized greater spread indoors and in confined spaces, the Fitness Center and Spa will remain closed—to everyone. I thoroughly understand how disappointing this is to many of you, and regret that this is necessary for everyone’s health and safety. Some sources and common sense indicate that healthful exercise and reasonable sun exposure minimize the severeness of viral illnesses in general, likely including COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2, though this has yet to be rigorously proven. My hope is that exercise on the outdoor equipment on the Sports Deck and/or sun exposure there or on the Sun Deck will aid each of your immune systems in warding off this disease, or at least the worst of what it has to offer.

Advanced reservations are required in all cases, for any sports equipment, and even for chairs on the Sun Deck. This is absolutely also true for restaurants on these decks, which will continue to have limited social distance spacing seating. The only activity which may be undertaken without reservation is walking around, and even this will be monitored by security. Staff or crew members will be stationed at all access points to these decks, checking each person’s temperature with a non-contacting infrared thermometer, and making a quick visual evaluation for lack of COVID-19 symptoms. Please cooperate with them, and it will only be a few seconds per person for these evaluations. Their word is final, should they indicate that you need to return to your stateroom and quarantine.

Those of you in this class must at all times practice full social distancing protocols, and because none of us can know whether or not you may be an asymptomatic carrier, you must wear your face mask whenever anyone outside your immediate shared stateroom or suite group is within 2 meters. It is recommended in the strongest possible terms that everyone of all COVID-19 classes practice CDC-recommended hand washing at every necessary opportunity. This goes doubly so for those of you in the never-had-symptoms class, as potential carriers.

The following information applies only to those of you who have without question had clear, common COVID-19 symptoms, and whose course of illness has followed the typical 14 day give-or-take pattern of those who will survive this disease, and are now fully recovered with no symptoms. It is presumed that you have immunity for some period of time, though without testing, we cannot know whether you actually had COVID-19, or some other flu or other disease with similar symptoms. I am taking the great risk of brashly assuming that it is safe for those of you in this class to interact closer to what up until this pandemic had been socially normal interactions.

The Sky and Lido Decks are reserved for those of you in the recovered class. Sky will give you sun access, as for the no symptom class. The Lido pool, while not at all the same as the exercise options on the Sports deck, does offer you some exercise other than walking. Advanced reservations are required for the pool—any pool on any deck. Same with all restaurants, including buffets. Only those in the recovered class will be able to do any self-serving at the buffet, and this will be closely monitored. It is recommended to wear a mask and practice social distancing even on these reserved decks, though for the recovered class on these decks, it will not be required. Security will be present and monitoring everyone’s interactions. As for the asymptomatic class, crew or staff will be stationed at all deck access points to check your temperature and quick-verify that no on is displaying known COVID-19 symptoms.

Open seating such as at the buffet is restricted to one group per table unless newcomers outside the group receive permission to join those at that table in advance before sitting down.

Finally, we come to the special situation presented by the Grand Promenade Deck. The unique nature of this deck and its facilities available nowhere else require that both the no symptoms class and the recovered class be allowed to use open facilities thereon. At this time the retail shops remain closed. Our several restaurants on this level will continue limited seating spaced-apart social distancing, as has been the case since just prior to the original Quarantine Level 1.

As with the stateroom decks, everyone at all times must wear a suitable face mask, and follow all social distancing and hand cleanliness protocols. The only exception is once you are seated in a restaurant and your food has arrived, as long as you remain seated and until you have finished your meal.

It cannot be overemphasized how critical this situation remains, and how essential your cooperation is to allow us to loosen up the quarantine to this degree. Patience remains a virtue. Advanced reservations are required. Please note that we are thoroughly stocked with food and supplies, thus there is no need to rush for early appointments, and definitely no need to hoard anything. The reports many of us have seen regarding empty store shelves is disturbing, I agree. Not a problem on the Sapphire Prince. We have been restocked since docking here in Coos Bay, our Portland supplies trucked down here for this purpose. This will all work out for everyone if we each go along with our usual routines in terms of time of day we normally take meals, and so on. If you find yourself frustrated getting the restaurant reservation you prefer, please consider making one for the next meal or next day, then taking the missed meal in your stateroom.

This is a great deal of information to take in all at once. Rest assured that all of it is written out in your native language on the News & Information page of the Sapphire Prince on-ship website, direct links to which follow on this screen, seconds from now. Thank you again for doing your part, so all of us can get through this. Good Health and Wellness to you, and Good Evening.