RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) on Sunday, January 2, issued a statement advising passengers against boarding cruise ships in the coming days. The recommendation is due to the recent sharp rise in Covid-19 cases on ships.
According to the regulator, in the case of the MSC Splendida, over 3,000 passengers were prevented from boarding this Sunday, due to the presence of community transmission among the cruise ship’s crew and occupants.
In the note, ANVISA reinforced the “urgency to immediately suspend the cruise ship season in Brazil.”
“Despite the agency’s efforts in recent days to control the vessels’ sanitary situation, these actions are severely impacted by a failure to comply with the protocols established for the start of the season,” the agency argued.
TAKEN BY SURPRISE
ANVISA’s statement prompted a reaction among the companies that organize cruise trips. In a note, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said it had “been taken aback by ANVISA’s recommendation to provisionally suspend the ship season.”
The organization argued that the infection records represent “a small fraction of the 130,000 passengers and crew boarded since the beginning of the current season in November.”
“These cases, mostly asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, were identified, isolated and disembarked, according to the protocol in force, as well as their close contacts, representing little or no burden for medical services on board or ashore,” CLIA continued.
Also according to the industry representative, health protocols adopted by the companies are “rigorous.”
“They were developed and approved in association with ANVISA and other government bodies,” he emphasized.
Nevertheless, CLIA expressed its “commitment to continue cooperating with ANVISA, the Ministry of Health, and the state and city authorities that host cruises in order to promote health and safety for all.”