Portland unveils first ever alert system for cruise ship outbreaks
Residents of Portland can now be notified should an infectious disease outbreak take place on a cruise ship bound for the city’s harbor.
Local activists say a new opt-in text alert system is the first of its kind to inform the public of potentially contagious passengers coming to port.
Matthew Day, cofounder of the volunteer group Portland Cruise Control, said the idea for the notification system started last fall, when the Oceania Insignia docked downtown during a norovirus outbreak. More than 13% of passengers were sickened but the public was told not to be alarmed.
“The cruise lines, they’re not happy about having to make reports and we frankly don’t trust them to do that because it’s bad for business,” Day observed.
Full story Portland unveils first ever alert system for cruise ship outbreaks
