With the vaccination passport and testing, cruise ships will return to Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Cruise ships will once again operate in Brazil from November 5. The return was confirmed with the approval of the health protocol for the ships by the National Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa).

The protocol provides for a reduction of travelers per vessel to 75% of the total capacity. It also requires a vaccination card against Covid-19 among passengers and RT-PCR testing up to 72 hours before boarding.

In approving the protocol, which establishes the security parameters to be followed by ships, Anvisa President Antonio Barra Torres stressed that he would monitor the effectiveness of controls on ships, as confinement on cruise ships is of particular concern.

“Nothing is set in stone. We will always be ready to review previous decisions and make them ineffective given this dynamic and the ability to change scenarios, either to increase sanitary rigor or to make it more flexible,” he said.

In addition, Anvisa urged certain groups, such as pregnant women, the elderly, the chronically ill, and the immunocompromised, to decide to cruise with caution.

At the beginning of the pandemic, outbreaks on cruises were a significant concern. In February 2020, the luxury ship Diamond Princess recorded about 700 infections and spent nearly a month in quarantine in Japan.

According to the president of the Brazilian Cruise Association (Clia Brasil), Marcos Ferraz, five Brazilian ships will operate this season – 386,000 beds will be available.

A total of 107 sailings and 392 port calls are confirmed between Ceará and Santa Catarina. “Demand is high, and we’re coming back with the most popular itineraries,” he says.

The return of cruises should create about 25 thousand jobs, says Clia Brasil, which considers vacancies inside and outside the ships, including in restaurants, travel agencies, van rental, and other indirect services.

This season, however, there will be fewer ships as international traffic is restricted. The reopening of maritime borders for cruises depends on a joint decision by the Ministries of Health, Justice, and Infrastructure.

Clia Brasil expects it to reopen on January. 2 million people in more than 50 countries have already returned to cruises, according to the World Cruise Association. The company expects to have about 80% of its fleet in circulation by the end of the year.