Originally Posted by
Islandlad
Quite possible it was quicker as each ship would have had all its occupants infected by the time it arrived. Flights are short and confined, with a low infection risk of hours not days.
Incorrect - a causal factor in the rapid spread of Covid-19 was due to the increased viral shedding early in the illness while the infected party was asymptomatic, this is very different behaviour to SARS-Cov-1 and MERS. Based on this a long sea journey, whilst allowing transmission within a cohort of passengers in the confines of the vessel, would also allow symptoms to develop and make it obvious as to whether quarantine was required prior to arrival at port.
Air travel played a massive part in being a vector for the passage of infected parties and the spread of the disease internationals, however the real issues arose intra-nationally when governments failed to control the spread. The inability of public health bodies at a national level to contain outbreaks was just as much to blame if not more so than the ability of humans to rapidly transit around the planet. Epidemiology is a complex science and to lay the blame concerning the spread of Covid-19 purely on the aviation industry is lacking in insight and common sense.