On Monday 27 July, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published their recommendations for the “gradual and safe resumption of operations of cruise ships in the European Union”.
The guidance is meant for EU and European Economic Area (EEA) flagged ships engaged in international voyages and for ships calling at an EU/EEA port.
The guidance particularly recommends that physical distancing should be maintained on board and that screening protocols should be established before embarkation - and re-embarkation following an excursion - for both passengers and crew.
EMSA and ECDC also expect cruise companies to be in contact with the local public health authorities in the ports they visit to obtain information on transmission risks and local measures.
Also set out in the guidance are the measures that will need to be applied if a “possible, probable or confirmed” case of Covid-19 is identified on board. The two organisations particularly emphasise that, in such circumstances, the ship should be diverted to the nearest port where testing and treatment can take place.
For example, a plan should be drawn up including the identification of spaces where the passengers or crew in question can be isolated until disembarkation.
The full recommendations can be found at: https://bit.ly/33ewxLd (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)