The most important thing you can do, according to the CDC, is to wash you hands throughly before eating, serving food, smoking, using your phone, or dispensing medication to someone else. Also: Always do it after using the toilet.
You may see hand sanitizer dispensers like this (this one’s was in the Garden Café on the Norwegian Getaway in 2014). You lived through the Covid-19 pandemic, so you know how to use hand sanitizer.
But what you may not know is hand sanitizer is not fully effective against norovirus.
In fact, the CDC says that if you want to avoid norovirus, there’s nothing better than an old-fashioned hand washing, with basic soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
That’s why you will find proper hand-washing basins at the entrance of the ship’s buffet and anywhere else food is self-service. To avoid the spread of norovirus—remember, you may be carrying it and not know it yet—it’s crucial not to skip this step and do not replace it with hand sanitizer alone.
Most cruise lines post a crew member by the restaurant entrance buffet who will cheerfully pressure you to ensure your hands are freshly washed.
If an outbreak happens, the ship will probably also halt self-service at the buffet and instruct crew to serve food portions directly. That also helps keep transmission at bay.
