Cruise line reveals how they sanitised a cruise ship after mass coronavirus outbreak

The Costa Atlantica is the latest cruise ship to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic after nearly 60 crew members were confirmed as having the deadly infection. At the beginning of the pandemic, Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess cruise liner also had a huge infection rate.

Mr Yellen told USA TODAY: “This is what we do, not just during this COVID-19 time, this is what we do.

“We have approximately 9,200 employees around the world, and they are full-time employees.

“These are people with years and years and years of experience.”

BELFOR disinfected everything from crew access areas to staterooms, crew cabins and entertainment areas.

The mammoth task was known as a “level three” clean up which is the most thorough level of sanitisation.

Spokesperson for Princess Cruises, Ms Kamali said: “‘Level three’ already existed in the cruise world.”

He explained that it was “originally written in response to norovirus but includes disinfectant that disinfects against coronavirus, as well.”

The process also included removing all linen from beds and material goods, disinfecting the entire vessel including “high-touch surfaces”, disinfecting the carpet and hard surfaces and cleaning HVAC systems.

Another spokesperson for Princess Cruises Alivia Owyoung Ender said: “Soft materials (linens, towels, etc.) were discarded and have been replaced.”

To make sure there was no recontamination or confusion, each room was cordoned off after it was checked and cleared.

Mr Yellen explained that the cleaning task took place everyday of the week with cleaners rotating two 12-hour shifts before moving to three rotating eight-hour shifts.

Once the task was complete, it was signed off by Japan’s health ministry.

Senior industrial hygienist at Environmental Consulting firm CTEH David Watts told USA TODAY that he was confident that the ship was safe for passengers.

He said: “Following recommended social distancing guidelines, crew members and the public should feel confident about boarding the Diamond Princess.”

He added: “The vessel has now been empty for more than 45 days – significantly beyond health officials’ predictions for how long the virus is able to live on surfaces.”