Operational considerations for managing COVID-19 cases or outbreaks on board ships: interim guidance, 25 March 2020

This document has been prepared based on current evidence about the transmission of COVID-19, that is, human-to-human transmission via respiratory droplets or direct contact with an infected person. It is recommended that this guidance be used with the World Health Organization (WHO) Handbook for management of public health events on board ships.

The target audience for this document is any authority involved in the public health response to a COVID-19 public health event on board a ship, including International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Points (NFPs), port health authorities, and local, provincial, and national health surveillance and response systems, as well as port operators and ship operators.