HBO’s ‘The Last Cruise’ records how the US lost the ship on covid

A new documentary will be debated at the SXSW online festival this week and on HBO later this month aimed at the early U.S. response to Covid-19.

“The Last Cruise” offers a first-person behind-the-scenes look at the Diamond Princess a cruise ship as it became the site of the first outpost outside of China and one of the stories about the origin of the disease.

Using a personal video recorded by passengers and crew members during the voyage, director Hannah Olson allowed survivors of the crash to tell the story in their own words. The story is compelling, without a narrator or a narrator. Crew members speak their native languages, often with subtitles.

On January 20, 2020, the same day that the World Health Organization ended it position report on the coronavirus novel and three days after the CDC announced three U.S. airports began screening for coronavirus, the Diamond Princess they departed Yokohama carrying 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew on a 16-day cruise across Asia.

The film features three American couples – the Jorgensens, Frazures and Moleskys – and several tour members from around the world.

DeDe, a washing machine from Indonesia, says he wanted to work for a tour line after watching a video on YouTube. Maruja, a Filipino pastry chef, says she earns $ 997 a month – “just enough to support my two children. ”And Luke Hefner, a young singer from Tennessee, sees his career as an adventure. “It’s an amazing way of life,” he says. “And I’ve seen amazing things, being from a small town.”

Through the lenses of the travelers, we see crowds gathering on the deck of the pool, in the casino, on the treadmills in the fitness room, attending a dance class, relaxing in the library. We recognize the passing of a traveling day’s journey as hundreds of colorful balloons fall from the ship’s atrium.

In the early days of the cruise, most tourists and crew members were not at all aware of what was to come. When the ship arrived in Hong Kong, the Moleskys picked up a text from a family member telling them not to get off the ship. “There is a kind of virus that goes around and people die,” he read.

But the ship’s concierge desk gave them the green light and they got off the ship. “And at the moment we’re a bit thoughtful, well, we have that Asian experience and we’ll wear a mask. I mean, we’ll never do that in the United States, ”said Cheryl.

Then, on February 1, the captain of the ship announced from the bridge that the ship would return early to Yokohama. A passenger who got off the ship in Hong Kong had tested positive for a coronavirus, and the vessel began monitoring passengers for symptoms. “As you can see, gentlemen, the situation is under control,” the captain said over the spokesman. “And so there’s no reason to worry.”

The Diamond Princess they spat back to Yokohama and stopped on February 3. Japanese authorities told passengers they could not leave, but the fun continued on board a boat. At dinner that evening, a parade of kitchen staff and waiters marched through the dining room, singing and dancing, while guests waved their napkins. No one was wearing a face mask.

The next day, the captain ordered passengers to return to their huts for quarantine “at least 14 days, as requested by the Ministry of Health.” For all three of our American couples, that meant hours of chaos, watching TV, half – hearted indoor exercise, and a few little questions about how the ship ‘s food was going downhill.

Getting the crew’s opinion important for the film was to show the class divisions that exist on all cruise ships – and soon determine the risk of being infected with Covid-19.

DeDe took his videocam on a trip around the ship, gambit was made possible just because the passengers were confined to their staterooms. “Walking dead,” he said with his camera scanning the empty deck of the pool. “Nice and empty. Dystopic condition. “

Meanwhile, “the crew had to keep the boat going,” said Luke. “Answering phones, delivering medication, cleaning for 12 hours a day,” not to mention delivering 3,000 meals, three times a day, to all guests.

“We felt like only the rich would get attention,” Maruja said. “It’s not just the passengers who are at risk from this virus, so why are we still working?”

The situation had become much more dangerous by February 7. The Jorgensens watched from their living room balcony as a dozen people covered in white danger suits got out of hospital vans and boarding the ship.

Passengers were informed that there were now 61 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on the Diamond Princess, and Kent Frazure was doing the math. “They have tested very few people on board,” he said, adding that if 61 of the 273 passengers tested were positive, “that would mean a quarter or a third of the infectious vessel. ”

“It was terrible. It was impossible to be present for everyone, ”said Dr Franco Swart, the crew’s doctor. “The Japanese authorities used the crew for the welfare and safety of the passengers, but the crew space was so small that it was impossible for them not to be open to each other. To make matters worse, some members of the crew who were feeling unwell were afraid to report it.

More than a week later, Japanese authorities had not yet tested everyone on the ship. Dr. Swart took another approach with the crew, who made an important discovery.

“I would let every member of the team know who was positive. And they would say ‘yes, Doc, I’m fine, there’s nothing wrong, and at least a third of them may not have had any symptoms at all,’ “Dr Swart said. “And that’s how we found out there were a lot of people who were unusual. Today that is a common experience, but it is something that we did not know at the time. They didn’t know they were spreading it. ”

By February 15, the case count had multiplied to 285. Two of the Americans in the documentary – Rebeccas Frazure and Jerri Jorgensen – tested positive and were taken to the hospital.

Shortly afterwards, the U.S. Department of State announced that it would begin evacuating about 400 civilians from Diamond Princess.

In one scene of classic foreshadowing, an American doctor appears at the door of Moleskys distillery to confirm that they want to leave the vessel. Cheryl asked, “So how do we know we won’t catch him on the plane? ”

“Well, there are no promises,” replied the doctor. “But honestly, it’s much safer to get off this ship. I wouldn’t be staying on the ship if I were you. ”

Cheryl’s question turned out to be a good question. U.S. officials told passengers they would not be evacuated by anyone who was infected or showing symptoms, but when the Moleskys boarded the armored plane, they noticed a tall plastic sheet around it. some passengers. “We had found out we were on a plane with Covid people,” said Paul Molesky. “So when we walked in, we walked past them. When we had to go to the bathroom, we had to walk past. ”

About the time the last member of the team left the Diamond Princess, 712 people had contracted the disease and 14 passengers had died.

In the end, “The Last Cruise” concludes that the CDC seized a great opportunity to suppress the disease in the early days.

“While the Diamond Princess was in quarantine, U.S. government scientists investigated what had appeared on board,” read the final caption. “The data revealed two things: Covid-19 was in the air and transmitted through asymptomatic carriers.”

And then the weaver: “It would be more than a month before the CDC recommended the use of a face mask to prevent the virus from entering the United States. ”

One of the worst closing thoughts comes from DeDe, who despite being one of the last members of the crew to be allowed to evacuate the vessel, left with his diligent spirit still intact.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to work on a cruise ship,” he said. “And I hope to come again soon. ”

The film hits HBO on March 30th.