Carnival Corporation to reintroduce mask regulations

In response to the increasing Covid-19 transmission rate in the country, major cruise lines have reinstated mask mandates for operations across Australia.

As Carnival Australia explained in a recent statement, the adjustment extends to "all Carnival Corporation brand ships operating in Australia and the region as an additional safeguard in light of the current rate of Covid-19 in the general community". Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line are among them.

According to Carnival Australia, both guests and staff must wear facemasks permanently while indoors, except when they are consuming food or beverages, as well as when in crowded outdoor spaces or during the cruise line’s transfers. When boarding and debarking, passengers are also required to have their mouths and noses covered.

For sailings in the Australian area, guests over the age of 12 need to be completely vaccinated, while Carnival permits a limited number of medical exemptions only. Before boarding, all travelers must take a COVID test, as well as respect a series of health and safety precautions.

As reported by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the weekly average of daily Covid-19 infections in Australia climbed from roughly 9,000 on November 10 to over 14,000 only a week later.

In April, Australia removed a restriction on international cruise ships that had been in effect since March 2020. However, the nation's regulations were among the most stringent in the world.

The revisions follow soon after the Majestic Princess, a Princess ship, docked in Sydney on November 12 with 800 people onboard infected with the Covid-19 virus.

The change comes as the trend to relax Covid-19 regulations is very common among cruise companies. Major cruise lines such as Carnival, Princess, and Royal Caribbean International have all relaxed Covid-19 sailing rules while eliminating the immunization and testing mandates for the majority of their itineraries.

 

Source: eu.usatoday.com