Post COVID - Passenger Rail

CDC issued new guidance on mask wearing for fully vaccinated people: Take it off, you're fine in most cases.

For traveling on planes, trains, and buses? Put 'em on, no exceptions.

NPR rechecked so you don't have to: https://www.npr.org/2021/05/13/99668960 ... e-for-trav

"Right now, we still have the requirement to wear masks when you travel on buses, trains and other forms of public transportation, as well as airports and stations," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told NPR on Thursday. The CDC will continue to update its guidance as the science emerges, she added.

The CDC requires that masks be worn by travelers on all planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.

The Transportation Security Administration sets rules for airports, commercial aircraft, bus companies and commuter bus and rail systems. The TSA announced two weeks ago that it was extending its mask requirement at airports, on planes and on public transit through Sept. 13.

Give it time. The timing of this seems really interesting, given a shooting war breaking out and the pipeline debacle.

I wouldn't be surprised if the September date for air and rail travel gets walked back to June or July.

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eolesen wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 8:43 am Give it time. The timing of this seems really interesting, given a shooting war breaking out and the pipeline debacle.

I wouldn't be surprised if the September date for air and rail travel gets walked back to June or July.

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NBC's Today Show had the head of the CDC on over this news, and one of the questions was about air and rail travel. The director said they will be reviewing those guidelines in the next few weeks.

The Florida Cruise ship problem is a big 800# gorilla. Feds are going to have to step in IMHO.

west point wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 2:30 pm The Florida Cruise ship problem is a big 800# gorilla. Feds are going to have to step in IMHO.

Well, if it isn't coronavirus it's norovirus. My wife and I had give thought to going on a cruise as cases of norovirus had started to decline and then along came coronavirus. Going on a Flying Dutchman cruise, no thanks. We'll stick to Amtrak and the airlines. Since Alaska is one of two states we haven't been to maybe a Seattle to Alaska cruise in a few years time .... maybe.

RRspatch wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 11:11 pm

west point wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 2:30 pm The Florida Cruise ship problem is a big 800# gorilla. Feds are going to have to step in IMHO.

Well, if it isn't coronavirus it's norovirus. My wife and I had give thought to going on a cruise as cases of norovirus had started to decline and then along came coronavirus. Going on a Flying Dutchman cruise, no thanks. We'll stick to Amtrak and the airlines. Since Alaska is one of two states we haven't been to maybe a Seattle to Alaska cruise in a few years time .... maybe.

Yes, both: "On May 5, 2021, CDC released the next two phases of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) for cruise ships operating or seeking to operate in U.S. waters. CDC published technical instructions for cruise ship operators preparing to conduct simulated (“trial”) voyages in advance of restricted passenger voyages under a COVID-19 Conditional Sailing Certificate. With the issuance of these next two phases, cruise ship operators now have all the necessary requirements and recommendations they need to start simulated voyages before resuming restricted passenger voyages and apply for a COVID-19 conditional sailing certificate to begin sailing with restricted passenger voyages. CDC may adjust these requirements and recommendations based on public health considerations and other factors."

There is a fly in the ointment concerning cruises such as to Alaska. Due to the Jones Act, cruise lines usually called at a Canadian port if their origin and destination were in the US. Currently Canada has banned cruise ships until 2022 so unless the government waives the Jones Act provision, there won't be any Alaska or coastal US cruises anytime soon.

Going back to the original topic of WFH, has there been any measure of how many jobs are even potentially WFH? Customer Service/help desk, software development, certain desk jobs involving computer work, what else? There are certainly many jobs that require you to be on site - service jobs, maintenance, manufacturing, etc. I;d be curious to know the percentages that are even possible to be done from home.

As an aside before retirement I did software development almost exclusively from home. Made sense as most of my projects had far flung members e.g. my most recent project had one guy from NYC, several from Tel Aviv, and me in Maine. So it didn't really matter where I was as long as I had a phone and an internet connection.

In "normal" times cruise ships are frequently floating incubators for contagions. Seems prudent to hold off till 2022...

Heard report that cruise ship bookings way up despite the Florida governor.

To the extent that Amtrak LD largely, and cruise ships totally, relate to leisure travel, Points Guy - same guy who rode the Silver Star with his kid - reports that cruises will be casting off from Ft. Lauderdale next month:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tips/b ... ar-AAKpNsp

Fair Use:

The return of big-ship cruising out of U.S. ports is finally at hand.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late Wednesday May 26 cleared Celebrity Cruises to restart sailings from Fort Lauderdale with a single ship, the 2,908-passenger Celebrity Edge, on June 26.

The vessel will be the first big ship to sail from a U.S. port in more than 15 months.

Cruise ship heard all persons have to be vaccinated and tested negative ? If it was me I would want all persons(crew & Pass ) temp taken just like the medical facilities. Several year ago friend went on a cruise. Many persons arrived back various sick. Was covered up rather well. Now no more.

west point wrote: ↑Thu May 27, 2021 3:41 pm Cruise ship heard all persons have to be vaccinated and tested negative ? If it was me I would want all persons(crew & Pass ) temp taken just like the medical facilities. Several year ago friend went on a cruise. Many persons arrived back various sick. Was covered up rather well. Now no more.

One or two cruise lines have announced they will require cruisers be vaccinated. However not all cruise lines are doing this, in particular Carnival PLC the largest has made no such policy. They may all be requiring their crews to be vaccinated though and will likely check temperatures etc.

So you had a friend who went on a cruise and several people got sick. Of what we cannot speculate, maybe they went ashore and got Montezuma's revenge from a taco stand, who knows. This idea that cruise ships are floating petri dishes has been totally overblown due to a few well publicized cases of Norovirus, which cruise lines are taking thorough measures to deal with. Having been on several cruises myself I have never experienced anything like this.

Now back to your regularly scheduled train oriented programming ...

Not having a tax deduction for a home office would increase the amount of work done at the office and therefore tend to increase the ridership on transit and commuter rail.

Social distancing will uphold or increase the need for more transit and commuter rail service. When a bus or train has to pass up riders to maintain social distancing, it is to be considered full even though the number of riders aboard is a tiny fraction of what before Covid-19..

jonnhrr wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 11:58 am There is a fly in the ointment concerning cruises such as to Alaska. Due to the Jones Act, cruise lines usually called at a Canadian port if their origin and destination were in the US. Currently Canada has banned cruise ships until 2022 so unless the government waives the Jones Act provision, there won't be any Alaska or coastal US cruises anytime soon.

Both houses of Congress has passed a "temporary" waiver to the Jones Act to allow Alaskan cruises without a foreign port of call (Canadian). The temporary waiver expires when Canada's no cruise ship order expires. Otherwise, the Jones Act restrictions continues on as before. Fly temporary swatted.
Congress is going to do what it needs to do to encourage normality as quickly as possible. I strongly believe normality will return for all practicable purposes fairly quickly, although there will be still be a few bumps remaining in the road.

Disney Guy wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 5:42 am Not having a tax deduction for a home office would increase the amount of work done at the office and therefore tend to increase the ridership on transit and commuter rail.

Huh?

No home office deductions for employees since TCJA 17 (Trump tax cut).

Self Employed or a partner, different ball game; there expenses related to your home office are reported on your Schedule C, or Schedule E if a partner.

GBN, CPA