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As the Veendam passed through Juneau on June 17 with a growing outbreak of norovirus onboard, the city manager's office didn't get the courtesy call he expects in that situation.

City Manager Rod Swope said for years the city has had an "informal agreement" with the tourist industry wherein he's informed about an outbreak at least six hours before a ship hits port.

"Anytime a ship comes into port, they would (typically) notify us," Swope said.

The agreement with Tourism Best Management Practices allows city hall to alert tourism-based businesses that the explosive diarrhea-causing norovirus is coming to shore, Swope said. It started about a few years ago after a problem with an outbreak, he said.

Swope said Kirby Day, of Princess Cruises and TBMP, would usually make the call.

Day was out the week of June 17 with a "family emergency," according to a woman who answered the phone at the Juneau office of Princess Cruises.

The goal is to make sure employees know to wash their hands constantly, Swope said. But, as rumors of the recent outbreak circulated around town, Swope got an e-mail from Bartlett Regional Hospital saying no problem existed.

"That doesn't mean it didn't happen," Swope said.

By the time Veendam tied up in Seward, days after leaving Juneau, 112 passengers were sick.

Holland America gave the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formal notification of the outbreak on June 17.

Had the outbreak made it to shore and spread throughout Juneau, Bartlett would be affected first and probably the most, City Emergency Manager Mike Branum said. Restaurants would be next, he said.

Norovirus is a "fecal-oral" illness, Branum said. The best way to stop its spread is to keep feces off your food and food preparation surfaces. That's done through thorough and constant hand-washing, he said.

The real effect at Bartlett would mostly be additional housekeeping costs to quell a wider spread of the short but wicked illness, Branum said. People who do catch the gastro-intestinal bug do best by staying hydrated, he said.

Michelle Casey, a Bartlett spokeswoman, said during an outbreak the hospital could potentially see a cost increase in personnel. Bartlett always practices universal precautions, she said.

Casey said Bartlett saw no cases of ship-related gastro-intestinal illnesses the week of June 17, but that a couple of "unrelated" cases were treated.

She pointed out that local retailers such as Fred Meyer and Costco also could face staffing issues during an outbreak because lots of crew members shop while in town. Money is a dirty thing, Casey said.

Both Casey and Branum said if the virus did jump ship in Juneau it might be hard to tell. Generally, healthy people suffer for a few days and then bounce back. Branum compared norovirus' actual seriousness to the coronavirus - the harbinger of the common cold.

"Reportage is low," he said. "It's difficult to track."

• Contact reporter Greg Skinner at 523-2258 or greg.skinner@juneauempire.com.