By Soraya Abdel-Hadi, Operations Manager eXXpedition
As the situation with COVID-19 develops, the first priority for eXXpedition and our Operating Partner Discovery Expeditions is the health and safety of our team, professional and guest crew. We are continually monitoring the ever-changing situation, taking advice from our onshore medical experts at MSOS and risk assessment experts at the TRIP Group, and are making informed decisions on our next steps based on the most up-to-date information.
Following advice and best practice we have implemented enhanced health screening recommendations for guest crews joining the vessel and additional procedures on board, and we’re supporting the guest crew on the changing conditions as best we can with the information we have available.
To continue to advance our knowledge, on Wednesday 4th March, I attended a briefing on COVID-19 and related specific risk management measures to keep our crew and stakeholders healthy in the current global climate. It was hosted by eXXpedition partner the Travel Risk & Incident Prevention (TRIP) Group in London.
This session was a combination of information sharing and scenario planning, led by experts, to help organisations to prepare for how this unprecedented situation might unfold over the coming days, weeks and months. A detailed doctor’s briefing provided the attendees with an expert overview of the developing situation, what we know about the virus and its symptoms and how the global situation may progress. This was followed by a scenario and contingency planning session where attendees worked in groups to identify the key action points in a range of different circumstances to manage the risk for all company stakeholders.
As a British Community Interest Company we follow the advice of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the NHS has up-to-date advice on staying safe and healthy abroad. For more on security, local laws, plus passport and visa information, see https://travelaware.campaign.gov.uk
Keep informed of current travel health news by visiting www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk
World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus information
Most countries’ governments provide their own travel advice which we are following for the destinations on our Round the World route.
If you have any questions about eXXpedition and COVID-19, please contact [email protected].
