Ivana highlights the concerns and fear that can be felt by those working in the maritime industry during COVID19. On the vessel, the seafarers are in their own isolation, or 'families' and then the pilot and other port personnel come onboard and they may be asymptomatic. For the port personnel, they aren't sure if the crew might be infected. Then there are the families - for the seafarers, they are often far from their families and are not sure when they may have a chance to see them again. For the pilots and port personnel, they need to go home to their families and may be concerned that they could be bringing COVID into the household. Through it all there is a need to keep healthy and happy.
Ivana's Top Tips include so many more than I was able to keep in the video, but the key is really community and communication.
- communicate and be kind to each other
- share your culture and faith, take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about each other
- exercise, even if you don't have a gym onboard, you can make weights with water, heft tins - just be careful not to drop on the deckhead! (maybe there's an old piece of carpet lying around?)
- quiz nights, taking turns setting up the quizzes, or sharing quizzes between ships
- setting up an onboard library with books and music
What are your top tips for keeping healthy and happy onboard?
UK
