After a long forced break due to the Covid pandemic, cruise lines resumed their activities in June 2021. But faced with the spread of the Omicron variant, they have accused in recent weeks a sharp increase in the number of cases.
A cruise ship, mostly carrying Germans, had to disembark its travelers Monday, January 3 in Lisbon instead of leaving for the Spanish Canary Islands after several cases of Covid-19 on board.
The ship, which docked in the Portuguese capital on Wednesday from La Coruña in northwestern Spain, was carrying some 2,844 passengers and 1,353 crew. He was to reach the Canaries after a stopover on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
But, after the first cases were reported on Wednesday, the company AIDA Cruises decided on Sunday to end the cruise ” in the interest of the safety and health of its passengers and crew “, Told a spokesperson for AFP. In total, some 68 people tested positive on board the ship on Monday, including 60 crew members.
Those who have tested positive are ” asymptomatic or with mild symptoms », Specified the captain of the port of Lisbon, specifying that most had been accommodated in hotels in the city to respect a quarantine. Passengers over 12 and the crew were all ” fully vaccinated And tested twice before boarding the cruise ship, according to the shipping company.
The AIDAnova, commissioned in 2018, with a capacity of nearly 5,200 passengers according to its technical sheet, is due to leave the port of Lisbon on Wednesday afternoon. The next cruise is scheduled for January 15, departing from the island of La Palma in the Canaries.
150 positive cases on an Italian ship
Meanwhile, in Italy, at least 45 cruise ship passengers were quarantined Monday in the port of Genoa (Italy) and taken care of after testing positive for Covid-19, according to the MSC company.
According to the Italian press, tests carried out on board the Grandiosa liner of the MSC company, which arrived Monday morning at 7 a.m. UT in Genoa from Marseille (south of France), revealed some 150 positive cases. Contacted by AFP, MSC denied this figure, simply reporting that 45 cases, ” mostly asymptomatic », Had landed in Genoa.
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But later in the day the company acknowledged that there were other passengers positive for Covid on board the ship, without specifying their number, just adding that they would disembark during the next stopovers. ” In accordance with protocol, positive passengers and their relatives were immediately isolated in cabins with balconies and received medical treatment. They were disembarked today in Genoa to be returned home safely ”At the expense of the company, indicated the communication service of MSC concerning the 45 people who got off the ship in Genoa.
The cruise was not interrupted, however, and the ship will continue its journey with the next stopover in Civitavecchia, the port near Rome.
Stop travel to Brazil
In addition, the Brazilian Maritime Cruise Association announced on Monday the suspension of travel until January 21, due to ” discrepancies On the application of the Covid protocols, following recommendations from the health authority after the appearance of clusters on three ships.
The “ pause, explained the association representing industry giants such as Costa and MSC Cruises, aims to resolve disputes “With the authorities concerning” interpretations and applications of operational health and safety protocols that were approved at the start of the current season in November “. Cruise ships currently traveling will finish their journey, the association said.
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Infections on three cruise ships sailing off the country’s coast on New Year’s Eve worried health regulator Anvisa, who recommended that cruises be suspended. On December 30, health authorities suspended the operations of two ships, Costa Diadema and MSC Splendida, after reporting dozens of cases on board.
The Costa Diadema has been ordered to disembark 68 infected people and return to its home port of Santos, near Sao Paulo, for quarantine. The Splendida, bound for Rio de Janeiro, was also ordered to return to Santos after reporting 78 cases. A third ship, the MSC Preziosa, with a capacity of 4,000 passengers, had to disembark in Rio about thirty infected passengers who were isolated, as well as persons in contact.
Cautionary note from the United States
US health authorities recommended last Thursday, December 30 to avoid cruises, including for people vaccinated, due to the sharp increase in the number of Covid cases on board ships across the globe since the arrival of the Omicron variant.
As the number of new infections soars in the United States a little more each day, cruise passengers sailing in U.S. territorial waters, which reported 162 cases to health authorities between November 30 and December 14, reported 5,013 between on December 15 and 29, said a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the country’s main health agency, in an email to AFP. ” The virus that causes Covid-19 is easily spread between people in close contact on board ships, and the risk of contracting Covid-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received an booster dose “, Justify in an official message the CDC. They have therefore raised their alert level to the highest level.
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People still wanting to go on a cruise should get tested one to three days before their departure and three to five days after their return and, for those who are not fully vaccinated, go into quarantine for five days after disembarkation, recommend. health authorities.
(With AFP)