The response COVID-19 crisis has leading cruise ship designers working hard on a number of potential modifications aboard.

AMK Architecture & Design told Cruise Industry News it was working on new solutions to reduce the need for touch interaction, make surfaces and frequently touched points virus resistant and shape the layout of areas of the ship so as to enable safe and at-distant flow of passengers and crew, without sacrificing socializing.

Public areas and cabin corridors could be equipped with the new anti-microbial carpets.

Entrance and exit points can be refitted with automatic doors operated with photocell, avoiding unnecessary touch points.

All bathrooms can be modified for touch free operation of faucet and flush and shower glass dividers instead of curtains, AMK said, in a presentation.

Cabins could also see a new hall storage area for clothes and shoes worn prior to entering the cabin. The storage area could also be a site where crew could leave food or linens in a quarantine scenario.

Other changes, the design firm noted, would be changes to crew living quarters for adequate self-distancing, inside cabins reserved for potential quarantine scenarios, and key changes to restaurant and dining spaces in terms of table sizing and spacing. Restaurants could even see screen dividers installed between tables.

The design firm also is preparing concepts for pool areas, utilizing cabanas instead of lines of lounge chairs.

They also expect a shift in entertainment to more open-air show theatres with weather protection.

Cruise lines are going to need more space for medical facilities aboard as well, AMK noted.

“The increased footprint of the medical areas will be followed by the need for additional medical crew and separated cabins from the rest of the crew. Provisional quarantine quarters can be established so as to enable safe short to medium term protective measures, at a short distance from the medical bay reducing the movement of medical personnel in commonly used areas of the ship.”