CLIA confident in cruise
CRUISE Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia is urging the industry not to be concerned about this week’s sensationalised mainstream media reporting of COVID-19 cases aboard Coral Princess, with MD Joel
Katz saying that “health authorities are confident, and cruisers can be too”.
“This week we’re all feeling the effects of renewed attention on cruising, but years of hard work and planning mean our industry is prepared,” he told TD’s sister publication Cruise Weekly.
“As we’ve seen all over the world, cruise line health protocols have shown to be effective in mitigating the risks of COVID-19 and have allowed cruise lines and health authorities to respond swiftly when cases arise,” he said.
Some of the reporting about the onboard cases has made hysterical claims harking back to the early days of the pandemic, but Princess has noted that the infections are “overwhelmingly among crew who were isolated on board in line with the protocols that have effectively supported the resumption of cruising since May”.
The Coral Princess cases were found in a routine full screening, with the affected crew isolated, not in contact with any guests and are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms of COVID-19.
Katz noted that although cruising was once again in the headlines, “our most important message holds true - no setting is immune to COVID-19, but we have processes in place for dealing responsibly with the virus...that is exactly what is under way”.
“Importantly, health authorities and political leaders have shown confidence in the protocols and have spoken publicly this week about their role in the new environment we all live with, now that COVID-19 is endemic in our communities,” he said.
Interest in the story was such that TD Publisher Bruce Piper was called in to comment on the situation on Channel 7’s Sunrise earlier this week (pictured).
Katz noted that the testing and vaccination requirements implemented by cruise lines, along with on-board measures, enhanced medical facilities and detailed response plans “are still the mot extensive to be found anywhere in tourism, and go much further than those you will find in most settings on land”.