By Atty. Dennis Gorecho
Many Filipinos are avid Koreanovela fanatics, especially now that they had to stay home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kingdom is one interesting Netflix series that revolves around the story of crown Prince Lee Chang as he struggles to save his people from the spread of a plague and prevent the royal dynasty from being overthrown.
Kingdom takes place in the late 15th or early 16th century—in the Joseon dynasty period—after the Japanese invasion. It is a fiction based on the historical plague that swept through Korea during the Joseon dynasty, killing thousands of people within days.
The infection spreads at an alarming rate, transforming the locals into yowling monsters that crave human flesh and blood. In one scene, the higher officials decided to burn the infected peasants’ bodies, but they bury those from higher social class. As the plague continued to spread, the noblemen attempted to return home via the only ship in dock. Unfortunately, said voyage brought the infection closer to the seat of power, causing more outbreaks.
The gates of the fortress were closed as a form of quarantine against the infected.
The term “quarantine” is derived from the Italian word quarantina, or 40 days. It was first used in the 14th century for ships suspected of carrying a contagious disease, which were held in isolation offshore for 40 days before passengers and crew were allowed to disembark.
History has seen the desolating role of ships as transporters of innumerable pandemics when viruses travel with international trade across geographies.
The pandemics of plague in the sixth, 14th and 20th centuries were spread along the international trade routes as rice and wheat grains, clothing, and trade merchandise were infested by infected fleas. The primary hosts of the fleas were the black urban rat and the brown sewer rat.
In October 1347, some 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Italian port of Messina. They were called “death ships” as most sailors aboard were dead or almost dead. The plague became known as the “Black Death,” which moved from the ports to land and to other ports in Europe.
Cholera pandemics throughout the 19th century that originated from India were also attributed to British army and naval ships traveling from India to the Persian Gulf. The disease eventually made its way to European territory in 1821.
What aggravated the worldwide occurrence of the 1918-1919 Spanish influenza was increased travel. Soldiers on overcrowded troop ships originally carried the disease during the First World War. The rate of transmission on these ships was rapid, and soldiers died in large numbers. The global death toll was estimated to have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million.
Fast forward to Covid-19 times.
The current Covid-19 pandemic has again brought to international attention the cruise industry, although cruise ships have a long history of infectious disease outbreaks.
Ships have been notably vulnerable to the spread of diseases due to the fact that there are hundreds or thousands of passengers in a relatively confined environment for days or weeks.
Cruise ships are particularly susceptible as they are intended to engage the passengers in public activities like dining, swimming and dancing together in enclosed spaces over a sustained period of time.
There were even reports that virus particles spread from room to room through the ship’s ventilation, which relies on recirculated air.
As the Covid-19 pandemic spread globally, many cruise shipping companies initially negotiated for their passengers to disembark, talking with countries and local governments cautious of sick travellers.
Sadly, most crewmembers remained on board vessels floating off-coast as the pandemic disrupted voyages around the world.
Reports of infected seafarers and fatalities raised fears among seafarers that some companies failed to protect their workers, including their right to healthy and safe environment, as well as their repatriation under international law, like the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006.
International Labor Organization Director-General Guy Ryder earlier asked governments “to ensure that, in these challenging times, seafarers are adequately protected from the Covid-19 pandemic, have access to medical care, and can travel to and from their ships, as necessary, in order to continue to play their crucial role.”
The International Transport Workers’ Federation said that it will not let up the pressure until every seafarer is home safely and those seafarers that have patiently waited at home to relieve their colleagues are on board.
Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, send e-mail at info@sapalovelez.com