Luxury cruise ships like Carnival Corporation's Diamond Princess have proven fertile ground for the spread of COVID-19. In contrast, two naval hospital ships —if operated with certain precautions — should safely halt transmission, says Qinyang Chen, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University. Cruise ship cabins are vented with a mix of safe outdoor air and questionable indoor air. "You do get the fresh air from the sea," says Chen. That ocean breeze should be free of the coronavirus. But "part of the air supplied to each room is returned back to the air conditioning system." According to Chen, the danger lies in recirculation. Each time the air circulates, it flies through a coarse filter that snags particles larger than 5,000 nanometers — that's about the size of your red blood cells. But Chen says the coronavirus is likely dozens of times smaller, rendering the filter an open door rather than a blockade. "Those small particles that might contain the coronavirus are returned to the cabins," says Chen. So, the coronavirus could have spread between rooms, even if everyone followed the quarantine guidelines. Hospital ships have HEPA filters and therefore are safer. If cruise ships are to be used as emergency hospitals, they should use 100% outside air.

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