The Cruise industry is not going to like this. Already under pressure from stories and images of quarantined passengers and ships being refused docking, they now are faced with health warnings. Health officials are urging Canadians to avoid travelling on all cruise ships to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there is a danger ships could voyage to areas with confirmed or unknown cases of the novel coronavirus.
The update comes as Canada prepares to repatriate 237 Canadians aboard a cruise ship that docked in Oakland, California on Monday.
Global Affairs Canada announced late Sunday that it had chartered a plane to fly the Canadians aboard the Grand Princess to the air force base in Trenton, Ont.
There are six cases of COVID-19 in Canada linked to the previous voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship.
Ottawa has recommended against cruise ship vacations in the wake of the international COVID-19 outbreak, saying the frequent interaction and close quarters on board can lead to a spread of the virus.
US ADVISORY AGAINST TRAVEL ON CRUISE SHIPS
Vice President Mike Pence, Senators Marco Rubio, Governor Ron De Santis and Governor Rick Scott met with heads of the cruise line industry on Saturday to devise better ways for cruise lines to deal with the outbreak. Cruise line heads agreed to enhance entry and exit screenings and establish shipboard testing for the virus, along with new quarantine standards established by the CDC.
The industry was asked to devise and fund a new plan on how to transport any cruise passengers who contract the disease. Some of the new protocol was expected to start taking effect early this week.
The cruise lines “need to take action to make sure they are keeping their passengers safe and do not end up putting undue burden on federal resources,” DeSantis said.
On Sunday, the US State Department issued an advisory against travel on cruise ships, particularly for travellers with underlying health conditions. The statement said the CDC noted an “increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment.”