Australia Extends Cruise Ban

[island lady]

13 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Good fellow,

He told me about a month ago that they where planning to bring at least a ship to sydney mid to early 2022 and over winter.

 

 

I sure hope you are right!  We are booked for February 2023 on Radiance.  Errrr...at least I hope it's a go!

[Hogbay]

Now with a variant the hold on cruises is continuing 🤨

https://www.cruisehive.com/two-carnival-cruise-ships-to-remain-on-hold-even-longer/61235

 

[Chiliburn]

2 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Now with a variant the hold on cruises is continuing 🤨

https://www.cruisehive.com/two-carnival-cruise-ships-to-remain-on-hold-even-longer/61235

 

We have that national cabinet today, I think the ban will be continued.

Maybe a month maybe 3.

With the silly season and vaccines losing there potency we will probably have another wave in January. I think that will be on their mind.

[Chiliburn]

12 hours ago, island lady said:

 

I sure hope you are right!  We are booked for February 2023 on Radiance.  Errrr...at least I hope it's a go!

You should be OK for February 2023 .  
But then that’s what we where thinking a year ago.

[carlandlyn]

So today the Oz Govt decided to push the cruise ban back til Feb17. So really not much happening this summer. We may get some Pacific cruising done by P&O and Carnival, with a couple of smaller companies doing Great Barrier Reef and Kimberley cruises. So fingers crossed for next summer.

[island lady]

10 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

You should be OK for February 2023 .  
But then that’s what we where thinking a year ago.

 

Naturally our 2021 Aussie multi-leg adventure was cancelled, so rather than take a chance on rebooking for 2022...we opted to wait until 2023.  Hope it works out.  😮  

[Biker19]

Cruise Lines International Association Australasia MD Joel Katz described the decision to extend the human biosecurity emergency period for a further two months as ‘another devastating blow to the 18,000 Australians whose livelihoods depend on cruise tourism.’

 

On Friday Health Minister Greg Hunt said the period, which has been in place to protect Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic since March 18, 2020, will continue until February 17, 2022.

 

It restricts the entry of cruise vessels within Australian territory.

 

Medical advice

Hunt’s statement said the decision was based on specialist medical and epidemiological advice provided by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer.

 

‘The human biosecurity emergency period ensures the appropriate legislative powers are available to the Australian Government as further information is gained and understood about Omicron, as well as to protect vulnerable communities in Australia,’ the statement said.

 

Katz said Australia had become the only major cruise market in the world without an agreed plan to resume cruising, which is ordinarily worth more than A$5 billion a year to the Australian economy. 

’In other countries close to five million people have already sailed successfully under the cruise industry’s extensive new health protocols,’ he said.

Genuine discussions

‘We need federal and state governments to use the coming weeks for genuine discussions with the cruise industry so we can plan a similar revival in Australia.’ 

 

Extension of Australia’s cruise ship ban ‘devastating blow’ (seatrade-cruise.com)

[Chiliburn]

7 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Naturally our 2021 Aussie multi-leg adventure was cancelled, so rather than take a chance on rebooking for 2022...we opted to wait until 2023.  Hope it works out.  😮  

I think I was on one of those cruises with you.

 It’s very disappointing that our government has extended the cruise ban for another 2 months. So it’s now until the 17th of February.

Before omnicron there was a prediction of a surge of cases around February.

The  predicted surge will be from our Christmas and new year silly season and the bulk of vaccinations being 6 months old and waning.
 

So it will probably extended in February because of a 4th wave.

[Biker19]

Australia has extended its ban on cruise vessels entering the country until Apr. 17, 2022, with plans to make the resumption possible “over coming months.”

 

This is according to a statement by the country’s Health Minister Greg Hunt.

 

The extension of the human biosecurity emergency period under the Biosecurity Act 2015 means that the five existing emergency requirements – including the ban on cruise vessels entering the Australian territory – will remain in force for another two months until Apr. 17, 2022.

 

More specifically, these determinations include mandatory pre-departure testing and mask-wearing for international flights; measures to prevent price gouging on rapid antigen tests; restrictions on outbound international travel for unvaccinated Australians; restrictions to protect remote communities in the Northern Territory; and restrictions on the entry of cruise vessels within Australian territory.

 

However, the requirement may be revoked before Apr. 17 if the health advice changes, the statement reads, "noting the peak of the Omicron wave appears to have passed whilst there are still areas of concern and planning is occurring to manage any increase during winter."

 

The statement also said that there was an agreement at National Cabinet that the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland agreed to work with the industry to implement new protocols to enable the resumption of cruising over the coming months.

 

“The Commonwealth can remove the restrictions on cruising as soon as it is advised that it is safe to do so and the Minister will regularly review this advice,” the statement read.

 

“These emergency requirements have helped Australia respond quickly to manage the number of inbound and outbound travelers, reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading on flights and at international airports in Australia, further manage the number of cases in quarantine facilities, and ensure the accessibility and affordability of rapid antigen test kits,” it added.

 

The emergency requirements will be reviewed regularly to consider the latest medical advice, according to the statement.

 

Australia Aims to Allow International Cruising ‘Over Coming Months’ - Cruise Industry News

[The_Big_M]

Yet international travellers are now allowed in. But cruise ships aren't. 

 

Makes a lot of sense - not.

[Chiliburn]

That’s the same minister for health that said we will be cruising by last Christmas.

Then he extended the ban.