Australians have been keen to hit the high seas for the past two years and the 2022 summer cruising season is finally here.
Cruise Lines International Association has reported that among cruisers and non-cruisers in Australia, 65 per cent are likely or very likely to book a cruise in the next two years. This has overtaken the pre-pandemic figure of 64 per cent in December 2019. The people have spoken, and they want to cruise.
Unfortunately, COVID is on the rise, with Australia’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, saying in early November that the country is at the start of a new wave.
Carnival Australia – which operates Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, Carnival Cruise, Cunard, Holland America and Seabourn – has reinstated a mandatory mask mandate across all brands.
The measure was scrapped for passengers in February and for staff last month.
But from now, all guests and crew will need to wear a mask at all times when indoors, unless eating and drinking, and outdoors when social distancing is not possible. Masks will also be necessary on company transfers such as tenders and buses.
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Carnival Australia said: “We can confirm that mask-wearing is being applied on board all Carnival Corporation brand ships operating in Australia and the region as an additional safeguard in light of the current rate of COVID-19 in the general community.
“The past two years have seen all industries, including ours, strengthen their health and safety protocols. At the same time, a majority of the population is now vaccinated.
“At a time when Australia is faced with a rapid rise of COVID cases, it’s critical everyone plays their part in keeping the community safe, and we thank our guests for abiding by our requirements.
“For all vessels in the Carnival Corporation fleet operating in the Australian region, this means going above current guidelines.”
As to how long these protocols might be in place, Carnival says it’s as long as they’re needed.
“Our strict and robust measures will remain in place for all voyages for the foreseeable future. They are critical to the safe operation of an industry so many Australians rely on for their livelihood and for our guests who have been waiting years to join us on a trip of a lifetime.”
The announcement comes after an estimated 800 cases were reported on Majestic Princess in Sydney.
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Some were quick to paint a grim picture, but reports from guests on the ship expressed confidence in the health measures being taken. Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin told A Current Affair that there was no need to overreact, but that we really should be looking at reducing the risk across the board because COVID is everywhere in Australia.
Cases are soaring across Australia as another wave of the virus prompts authorities to appeal for public help in stemming infections.
Cases in the nation’s two most populous states have more than doubled in just two weeks, although the number of serious infections remains low.
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But Royal Caribbean, one of Australia’s major operators, is still standing by its policy of ‘recommending’ masks.
“Royal Caribbean recommends guests should wear masks at the cruise terminal when embarking and disembarking, and in public indoor spaces and crowded outdoor spaces onboard. Some destinations we visit may require guests to wear masks.”
At the time of writing, Norwegian Cruise Lines are also yet to reinstate mandatory masking, but that may change.
If you’re looking to cruise this summer, you’ll have to follow the rules, such as the mask mandate, to ensure safety. Other strict protocols also remain on ships sailing in Australia. The Communicable Diseases Network Australia guidelines state that at a minimum, at least 95 per cent of passengers aged 12 years and over are fully vaccinated and the cruise operator must ensure all crew and passengers present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a cruise ship. This may be a PCR within 72 hours before embarkation, or a self-administered RAT taken within 24 hours before embarkation.
Do you have any cruises booked? Does the mask mandate discourage or encourage you to book a cruise? Let us know in the comments section below.
Why anyone would choose this insanity is beyond me! I have two friends, both fully jabbed – both recently been on a cruise, both got covid. They had to wear a mask on board – except when sitting down. My this covid is smart! One friend says she has never felt sicker and pretty annoyed she was brainwashed into getting the jab in the first place. A group of 5 of us walk our dogs together – the 2 who have been multi jabbed have all caught covid more than twice, and been quite sick. One needed to be hospitalized. Yet the other 3 – me included – chose to be vaccine free and never had a hint of any covid, none of us ever even used a RAT test. I go to Aged Care facilities and a major hospital on a weekly basis, maskless, and never a problem. It’s almost a guarantee that a cruise will do you in.
Whilst you have agency over your own body, you do not have the right to crow about putting others at risk. There is as yet no way of telling who may develop serious illness (beyond those with underlying immunocompromise), but it is known that the more often you acquire COVID the risks increase even when those infections appear asymptomatic or very mild. And BTW, anecdotes are not evidence on which to base decisions. For example, I have had 4 doses of COVID vaccine, two primary doses and 2 booster doses. I have not had COVID, flu or any other illness this past two years, have tested negative in several (mandated) PCR tests and RATs. Does that mean my experience negates yours? Of course not. Both are anecdotes and cannot be applied to anyone else.
However, cruises, much like childcare centres, are known places where infections spread quickly despite best efforts of the operators. Even before COVID, cruise ships had issues with gastrointestinal illnesses such as norovirus. COVID being respiratory transmission would also be easily spread in indoor areas where people have little regard for social distancing. People will make up their own minds about their risk level of comfort. But intentionally putting others at risk because of one’s own ego is deplorable.
Insanity is not having a jab. So you and your 2 buddies have dodged a bullet. So far so good. However, if you ever come into contact with covid, I don’t fancy your chances. Your vaccinated pals caught covid and were quite sick but they are still around to tell the tale. Why are they still here? Because they were vaccinated.
The insanity here is you believing that vaccinations don’t work.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/cruise-ship-with-covid19-positive-passengers-docks-in-sydney/88bbfb57-49c0-4eb9-8ffd-28ea1e32850b
Would be interesting to see how many of these infected were vaccinated.
And another ship docked today in Sydney with 100 cases onboard out of over a 1000 passengers.
Brilliant …
Self-corrected: Over 3000 passengers onboard.