Cruise travel uncertainty as COVID-19 cases spike aboard ships

Countries and cruise lines are foregoing port calls, due to COVID-19 infections on ships, with Royal Caribbean International (RCI) recently being turned away from Curaçao and Aruba when about 55 cases were documented on board the Odyssey of the Seas.

Chief Executive Officer of Nassau Cruise Port Limited (NCP) Mike Maura Jr. told Guardian Business yesterday that the Bahamian government has not had to turn any ships away.

“Cruise line health protocols remain robust, with the fully vaccinated requirement being effective in limiting positive cases to relatively mild symptoms,” said Maura.

“Positive cases are isolated from negative crew and passengers.”

United States(US)-based newspaper USA Today revealed that both Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises are both dealing with cases aboard ships as the Omicron variant, which has spread like wildfire across the world, begins to cause worry in the industry.

USA Today also explained that as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works to learn more about Omicron, a spokesperson for the CDC warned the media group that cruise travel is not “zero-risk” at this time and exposure is “high because the virus spreads easily between people in close quarters aboard ships”.

Last week, Maura told this paper that there is not yet concern locally that the Omicron variant will alter the strong cruise line booking numbers the port has received for 2022 and 2023.

Maura contended that cruise ships are “as safe as any other place that we all are gathering”.

He explained that the cruise industry has done more than any other industry to prepare for a return back to business, while ensuring the safety of traveling passengers.

“The cruise industry has been far more vigilant and has taken steps no other industry has taken, specific to numerous testing requirements prior to passengers boarding the ship and requirements that persons of the appropriate age are fully vaccinated in order to board the ship,” Maura said last week.

“The fact that there were cases on board the cruise ship is not surprising to me because it’s also not surprising to me that we would have people staying in hotels that would also have contracted the virus.”

The cruise industry continues to show strong rebound, though, with RCI having to close some bookings through January because numbers for ships have met their quotas, as cruise lines continue to sail with reduced numbers of guests, USA Today also reported.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/cruise-travel-uncertainty-as-covid-19-cases-spike-aboard-ships/