This is not a health column, but anyone sailing on a cruise ship soon should give a Centers for Disease Control Web site a quick read.
I stumbled across it as I was attempting to convince my husband to join me on a cruise. It's a hard sell. The words "cruise" and "gastrointestinal illness" have appeared together a little too often lately in the news.
The CDC recommends voyagers take the following steps to protect themselves, from the midnight buffet to Lido Deck.
Wash your hands. This sounds simple, and it is. The CDC wants you to wash up before and after eating and smoking, after you touch your face, after using the restroom, after touching high-contact areas, like doorknobs and handrails, and every time you return to your cabin. Use lots of soap, and rub your lathered
Also, the CDC recommends using a paper towel to turn off the bathroom sink faucet and to open the exit door.
Soap and water are best for washing hands. Use hand sanitizers only when water/soap are unavailable--like an excursion to the shore.
If you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, it should be 62% ethanol-based, preferably a gel.
Leave the area if someone gets sick (after, of course, alerting staff to a person in distress).
Drink water to prevent dehydration.
Don't bring an illness onboard. Check your cruise company's cancellation policies in case you come down with a virus at home.
Read the full set of recommendations from the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program at cdc.gov/nceh/vsp.
At the same site, you can search cruise ship inspections by ship, line and date. Ships and lines are given scores up to 100, with anything below 85 being "unsatisfactory." You can also read the "corrective action" taken for the gritty details.
Dear Kelly: I ride a motorcycle and have frequent problems with traffic lights not working correctly. One example is the intersection of State Route 205 and U.S. 301 in King George. Neither side of the intersection will respond to my motorcycle's presence. I either have to give up and turn right or just wait for a car to come up behind me to trigger the light. To whom do I need to talk to for resolution? On the bright side, the intersections with the video triggers always work for me.
--James Sparkman, King George
The Virginia Department of Transportation sent a traffic signal unit to inspect the signal at State Route 205/U.S. 301.
"Normally, the sensor detects a motion there, whether it's a motorcycle, vehicle or truck, it doesn't matter," said Tina Bundy, VDOT spokeswoman for the Fredericksburg District.
The signal unit found the sensor to be working properly, Bundy said.
VDOT's traffic signal technicians want to talk with you to see if something specific to your motorcycle--maybe the style--is the root of the problem.
Contact Tina Bundy at 540/899-4560 to get in touch with the technicians.
Dear Kelly: I have seen a lot of accidents on State Route 610 in North Stafford where people try to cross three, four and five lanes of traffic. When construction is complete, is there going to be a divider or median on Route 610 from Staffordboro Boulevard to Onville Road? I can't imagine crossing up to seven lanes of traffic.
--Mike Davis, Stafford
Yes, there will be a concrete median dividing eastbound and westbound traffic on Route 610.
Kelly Hannon is The Free Lance-Star's transportation reporter. If you have transportation questions, submit them to Getting There, c/o The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; or fill out the Getting There form available on fredericksburg .com.