The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination will not spell the swift end of health and safety protocols on board cruise ships, according to Clia’s senior vice president of global maritime policy.
Brian Salerno also told a Clia webinar discussing the return of the sector after Covid-19 that the UK was “far ahead” of the US in terms of preparations for a resumption of sailings.
“We foresee protocols being in place for some time,” he said.
“Although vaccination rollout is good, it’s still going to take some time as we will have propositions on board where some guests are vaccinated and some are not so we will have to keep the protocols in place.”
He added: “Those lines that are implementing policies of having 100% of guests, or indeed crew and guests, vaccinated, can do so in some places, but not all, so protocols will remain in place.”
Tony Roberts, chair of Clia in the UK & Ireland, who is also vice president UK & Europe for Princess Cruises, added: “Our planning has been aimed at us having a multi-layered approach so that no single thing is relied upon to enable us to sail safely.
“Vaccination rollout is helping with people’s confidence and therefore demand, but right now we’ll continue with that multi-level approach.”
He continued: “We want to make sure that our return is successful and that we return with longevity, so the cruise industry is going to be incredibly careful to do this the right way and not to get it wrong.”
Roberts said a successful return to domestic sailings this summer, which could be from as early as May 17, would help the sector create “the body of evidence” it needs to convince authorities to give international cruising the green light.
He added: “We will continue to work with government departments and the devolved administrations to ensure that we’re then moving the conversation forward. Those conversations, along with the first body of evidence from the first profile of domestic cruising, will help us to return to international cruising.”
Salerno said the UK government had been more receptive than authorities in the US to find a way to resume cruise operations.
“The UK government has been willing to engage with the cruise industry to find a pathway to resumption of sailing,” he said, adding that: “The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US has been less than enthusiastic.
“The UK is far ahead of the US. But we’re hopeful, with President Biden’s announcement that vaccinations will be available for the entire adult population of America by the end of May, that this will be an opportunity for us to re-engage with the CDC.”