Covid surge sees cruise passengers masked once more

A cruise company that upped its Covid-19 rules as cases surged has reintroduced a mask mandate for passengers.

Carnival Cruises in mid-november reintroduced the mask mandate for passengers on its Australia and New Zealand cruise lines following Australia’s fourth wave of Covid-19.

Carnival is the parent company of Princess Cruises, which had the first vessel to visit Tauranga in October since the border reopened.

The ship, Majestic Princess, visited as part of a 12-day cruise — with busloads headling to Rotorua — and about 800 guests tested positive for Covid-19 when it docked in Sydney.

Now, a spokeswoman said it was encouraging all guests to wear masks.

It expects the policy to be relaxed when the current wave subsides.

Passengers on board its cruise ships will be required to wear a mask when embarking and disembarking, in public indoor spaces and in crowded outdoor spaces where physical distancing is not possible.

Its policy also states all crew must be vaccinated and 95 per cent of passengers over the age of 12 must be as well and both must return a negative Covid test before boarding.

Epidemiologist Michael Baker said it was important cruise ship companies report Covid case numbers to host country health authorities.

Baker approved of pre-travel testing but said how the policy was administered made the difference.

This enforcement of policy was important once on board, he said, given the social environment on cruise ships.

With about 1 per cent of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand needing hospital treatment, he also believed it was important cruise companies were open about case numbers with host countries it would impact.

A daily report of cases was “critical”, he said, given the direct impact it had on health services.

“I think they do have to tell us in quite a bit of detail what’s happening on board those ships while in New Zealand waters.”

Baker said the higher risk of transmission of infectious diseases on cruise ships had been known for decades and so companies had a greater responsibility to assess risk, manage risk and with transparency in reporting about it.

A Carnival Cruises spokeswoman said all its ships had medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, and medication for a range of illnesses to care for guests.

This included anti-viral medication and oxygen.

The line worked closely with all governments and respective health officials in all jurisdictions it visited.

“This includes informing them of cases and how are we caring for impacted guests.”

She said the fact it was seeing positive cases on board through testing was reflective of the “vast majority” of guests doing the right thing. Baker also asked what happened if someone on board was critically sick and needed a hospital, or if there was a need for evacuation.

The answer was guests who require hospital-level care beyond what can be provided on board are medically disembarked and transferred via ambulance to a hospital.

This applied to any illness or injury experienced on board.

A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said its approach taken at the maritime border was in keeping with the current outbreak context within New Zealand.

Border agencies met regularly with cruise operators to set expectations and requirements.

Cruise operators were adhering to New Zealand Covid protocols and were also in daily communication with National Public Health Service (NPHS) representatives when Covid19

is on board.

Each subsequent port of call had access to these records to ensure ongoing and consistent monitoring. The daily report covers case numbers and other points, such as any impact on critical services.

A Te Whatu Ora spokeswoman said for the vast majority of cruises, Covid-19 cases have been managed on board with no issues.

There had been one individual admitted to hospital with a broken leg, who also had Covid-19.

New Zealand Cruise Association chief executive Kevin O’sullivan said the multi-agency group referred to met regularly with the industry for more than a year to work through issues and to continue the “robust planning” for the safe return of cruises. He said Baker was not part of that group.

A Port of Tauranga spokeswoman said its team members had little close interaction with cruise ship passengers or crew.