Anvisa interrupts maritime cruise activities after Covid outbreak

Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) interrupted the activities of a cruise ship this Thursday (30) after an outbreak of Covid-19. The tour was scheduled to end on January 3rd.

The Costa Diadema vessel was moored at the Port of Salvador. 68 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed so far, 56 among crew and 12 among passengers.

Travelers who tested positive for Covid-19 were authorized to disembark in Salvador, and they will stay in isolation in hotels already provided by the cruise operator. Residents of the capital of Bahia were also able to leave the vessel.

“According to vessel reports, among passengers who tested positive for Covid-19, the vast majority are asymptomatic, with only a few people with mild symptoms,” he said in a statement.

The measure was adopted after an epidemiological investigation conducted by the regulatory agency and technicians from the health departments of the government of Bahia and the municipality of Salvador.

According to the contingency plan, the vessel will be able to proceed, subject to restrictions on board, to the Port of Santos. This means that all non-essential activities must be stopped.

Until the complete disembarkation of travelers takes place at their final destination in Santos, all embarked must pay special attention to Covid-19’s transmission risk reduction protocols.

Authorization for the ship to be redirected to the Port of Santos took place after evaluating the sanitary conditions of the vessel and taking into account the well-being of travelers, in order to take them, in sanitary conditions, to their final disembarkation destination.

Upon disembarking in Santos, all travelers will have to be tested. Monitoring must be carried out by the Cievs (Strategic Health Information Centers).

In addition to this ship, another one docked at the port of Santos (SP) so that 132 people could disembark on Wednesday (29). This group includes 78 people with confirmed cases of the disease and 54 who have had contact with positive cases.

The cruises returned to sailing on November 1st in Brazil after an ordinance from the federal government. After this authorization, Anvisa approved a sanitary protocol for the resumption of activities.

According to Anvisa’s protocol, only people who took the Covid-19 vaccine can embark in the country. Vaccines that are part of the PNI (National Immunization Program) and those recognized by the WHO (World Health Organization) are valid.

In addition to vaccination, the use of a mask is mandatory on board and in passenger terminals. Inside the vessels, the distance between groups of travelers must be at least 1.5 meters.

Every day, at least 10% of the people working on the vessel and 10% of the passengers have to be tested. Crew members must be tested more frequently, especially those involved in food services and those who have direct contact with passengers.