Companies extend cruise suspension after Covid-19 outbreaks

Cruise companies have decided to extend, until February 4, the voluntary suspension of operations in the country’s ports, said Clia Brasil (Brazilian Association of Cruise Ships) this Thursday (13).

The announcement follows the record of outbreaks of Covid-19 on vessels between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022.

On January 3, the association had announced the suspension of cruises until the 21st of this month, a deadline that has now been extended to February.

On Wednesday (12), the eve of Clia Brasil’s announcement, Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) recommended to the federal government the end of the cruise ship season.

In a technical note sent to the Ministry of Health and the Civil House, the agency cited the advance of coronavirus cases, driven by the ômicron variant, and said that “the current scenario is unfavorable to the continuity of operations”.

Clia Brasil states that it decided to voluntarily extend the suspension period to discuss with authorities possible measures that make it possible to resume cruises.

The government, in turn, has not yet made a definitive decision on the authorization of the shipments. The 2021-2022 season started in November, and was scheduled to end in April.

“In respect of the ongoing conversations to achieve alignment with the competent authorities, Clia Brasil (Brazilian Association of Cruise Ships) and its associates have taken the decision to extend the period of voluntary suspension of operations in the ports of Brazil, scheduled now until the 4th of February 2022”, points out the entity.

In the technical note, Anvisa states that 1,177 cases of Covid were detected among crew and passengers of five ships that operated in Brazil until the first week of January. Of the total infections, 1,146 were confirmed from December 26 to January 6 alone.

This Thursday, Clia Brasil stated that the sector follows sanitary protocols. “Cruises are the only segment that requires, before boarding for passengers and crew, extremely high levels of vaccination and 100% testing of each individual”, he says.

“In Brazil, the protocols require that all guests have the complete vaccination cycle, present negative tests before boarding, continuous testing on board, use of masks, social distancing and lower occupancy of ships, among other protocols”, he adds.

In the first week of 2022, cruise passengers who had stopped operations reported on social media that they received little assistance during isolation on the vessels. They narrated problems such as low food supply, lack of cleanliness and difficulty in obtaining medical care.

“Cruises are the only industry that continuously monitors, collects and reports case information directly to government agencies,” says Clia.

According to the association, the current season was expected to attract more than 360,000 tourists, with an impact of R$ 1.7 billion, in addition to generating 24,000 jobs.