Cruise companies suspend new trips in Brazil until January 21

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The suspension has immediate effect for new departures and no tourists will embark before January 21, it said. However, according to the association, cruises currently running should complete their itineraries as scheduled.

CLIA Brasil stated that the Covid-19 cases identified on cruise ships represent “a small minority of the total on board” and that it seeks an “alignment with federal government authorities, ANVISA (Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency), states and municipalities to address differences in interpretation and implementation of previously approved measures with this new scenario.”

The association does not rule out the full cancellation of the current cruise season in Brazil after the end of this suspension “unless there is adequacy and alignment among all parties involved to enable the operation to continue.”

After the release of CLIA Brasil’s statement, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said that the government had an ordinance that “offered security for cruises and foresaw such situations, of having Covid cases.”

He also said that, “if the cruise lines are doing this, naturally they are observing the ordinance and the safety [of passengers].”

Among the protocols in place are mandatory full vaccination for guests and crew members eligible under the National Immunization Plan, pre-boarding testing, reduced on-board capacity, and mandatory mask use.

ANVISA ADVOCATED INTERRUPTION

In recent weeks, cruise ships operating along the Brazilian coast have reported dozens of Covid-19 cases and alleged negligence on the part of both companies and passengers in handling the cases.

ANVISA conducted epidemiological investigations, suspended some on-board activities on ongoing trips, and took measures regarding boarding and disembarkation in an attempt to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In recent days, ANVISA suspended new departures on the ships MSC Splendida and Costa Diadema. In trips last week, the former recorded 78 positive Covid-19 cases among crew and passengers, while the latter recorded 68 cases among both groups, the agency said.

The MSC Splendida had some 4,000 passengers on board, ANVISA said. The Costa Diadema had 3,836 – 320 crew and 2,516 passengers, also according to the agency.

Sunday night, ANVISA released a note in which it advised passengers who have scheduled trips on cruise ships for the coming days against boarding, “especially in light of the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.”

“The agency’s recommendation takes into consideration the rapid change in the epidemiological scenario, the risk to passengers’ health, and the unpredictability of operations at this time,” it stressed.

ANVISA also advised the Ministry of Health to suspend the current season on the Brazilian coast. “Despite the agency’s recent efforts to control the health situation of vessels, these actions are severely impacted by the failure to comply with the protocols agreed upon for the beginning of the season.”

In the note released yesterday, CLIA Brasil said that, “in recent weeks, the two affected cruise companies have experienced a number of situations that have directly impacted cruise ship operations, rendering the continuation of cruises at this time unfeasible.”

“In addition, the operational uncertainty has caused significant inconvenience to guests expecting their vacations at sea to have strict safety protocols in place.”

The two companies currently with operations in Brazil are MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises.

CLIA Brasil said that the current season, which began in November last year, is expected to involve over 360,000 tourists with an impact of R$1.7 billion (US$300 million) and the generation of 24,000 jobs.