Expert opinion

Health expert Dr Ian Norton (centre).

HEALTH EXPERT SAYS CRUISE CAN COME BACK

One of Australia’s leading experts in communicable diseases says cruise can now return safely with new health protocols – even before the national vaccination program is completed.

Dr Ian Norton told Cruise Passenger: “As long as we cruise within the Australian bubble with Australian passengers, stopping at Australian ports, the risks of contracting COVID-19 virus has dropped significantly.

“Honestly, we have managed the health risks remarkably well. The risk of community transmission is very low. Today, it is not a problem,” Dr Norton said before the Delta variant emerged.

Dr Norton is the founder and managing director of Respond Global. He was head of WHO’s Emergency Medical Team Initiative in Geneva from 2014 to 2020, during which time he led responses to Ebola, diphtheria and measles outbreaks in various countries.

He is also an external expert advising several cruise lines on their health and safety protocols. These include Coral Expeditions, Ponant, APT, Aurora Expeditions, MSC and P&O Carnival.

Dr Norton said there was no need to wait for the vaccine rollout to be completed, so long as the protocols were adhered to sailing vessels in Australian waters with Australian crews.

“We will never be in a position where all Australians are vaccinated, because children in Australia are not vaccinated,” he explained.

Coral Expeditions has been cruising safely in Australian waters for months, because it has introduced strict health protocols and screening for all passengers and crew members.

And with the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble, Dr Norton does not see any problems for cruise ships to sail to New Zealand, as long as the vessel is COVID-free and all passengers and crew have been tested.

He maintained it does not matter if the cruise line is an international brand or Australian-flagged: as long as the correct protocols are followed, the ship can cruise safely around Australia.

Currently, only APT and Coral Expeditions are sailing the region, with Ponant and Silversea revealing they have had to delay their sailings to later this year. The federal and state governments have so far not given any guidance as to whether they will give permission.

The Kimberley touring season will be a critical test for the cruise industry, which is pressing hard for a resumption of phased sailings, moving beyond the current 150 passenger-and-crew limit as more journeys are safely completed.

Currently, the Northern Territory has limited the total number of passengers and crew to 150 for cruise ships sailing its coastline, and there cannot be more than two ships in port at the same time. Excursions in the NT have also been confined to historical sites, without any interaction with local guides and the Indigenous community.

“The 150 people limit is very low and not viable for many expeditions and smaller cruise lines. But it is a window of hope. I think the number of passengers should be increased to 250 and eventually to 1,000 to cruise safely in Australia,” said Dr Norton.

AUSTRALIA NEEDS TO END ITS INACTION

By Joel Katz, managing director, Australasia and Asia Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Around the world, more than half a million people have now set sail aboard cruises that operate under the strict new health protocols our industry has created in response to COVID-19. Frustratingly, we are now the only major cruise market in the world where governments have made no progress towards resumption.

Despite an enormous amount of work by our industry over many months, the Australian Government recently extended its cruise suspension without any firm plan for moving forward. What we need now from government is a detailed framework that will allow cruise lines to implement these protocols in Australia and work towards a tightly managed resumption in the near future.

Cruising is worth more than $5 billion a year to the local economy and supports more than 18,000 jobs. We need to break the cycle of inaction in Australia and join the world in progressing responsible plans for cruising’s revival.

Visit www.cruising.org.au to find out more.

BestCruises

IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO PLAN YOUR NEXT CRUISE

INSIDE

24 Where to go when Australian cruising restarts. 28 The best of Australian adventure itineraries. 38 Picking up steam: European river cruising.

The Viking Sun sails into Sydney.