The Australian government has announced that it will extend its international travel ban for a further three months. The ban should expire in a few weeks.
The expansion is bad news for all international cruise lines operating in Australia. However, national cruise companies such as P&O Australia could offer cruises to Australian nationals in Australian waters Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australia.
Necessary measures
The emergency period for human biosecurity, which has existed since March 17, 2020, will be extended by a further three months until June 17, 2021. The governor general announced this. In this way, the Australian government can take all necessary measures to prevent and control COVID-19.
The measures almost completely ban all international travel to Australia. According to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and the Commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer, the pandemic continues to pose an undue risk to the Australian public. The dimensions are:
- Pre-departure testing and wearing of masks for international flights;
- Restrictions on Cruise Ship Entry into Australian Territory;
- International Travel Restrictions for Australians; and
- Restrictions on trade in retail stores at international airports.
Greg Hunt, the health secretary, said the risks overseas were one of the main reasons for the prolongation of the emergency.
“The Australian Main Committee on Health Protection has notified the Australian Government that the COVID-19 situation overseas continues to pose an unacceptable public health risk to Australia, including the emergence of more highly transmittable variants.”
The The ban was due to expire on March 17, 2021. The three month extension meant that Australians and international travelers could no longer travel to or from Australia.
It also means that the cruise industry’s losses are now approaching $ 5 billion. Government officials have expressed an interest in developing a framework for future cruise ship resumption in Australia.
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What it means for the cruise industry
As things stand, internationally registered cruise ships will not enter Australian waters until the ban expires in June. According to Joel Katz, the CLIA managing director, the industry is disappointed with the decisions made, even though they understand them:
“We have been working closely with the federal government for more than six months to create a high-level framework for resuming domestic operations. We are, of course, disappointed that the government extended the ban without finding a way to return the cruise, given the work that has been done over many months, but we remain committed to working with agencies at the federal and state levels. “
Will cruise ships sail?
Whether or not cruise ships will operate in Australia depends on the government. CLIA says it is working with the government to resume cruising in Australia:
“We have been working closely with the federal government for more than six months to create a high-level framework for resuming domestic operations. We believe there is a way for the gradual and tightly controlled return of domestic cruises for the benefit of the regional communities and industries that rely on a healthy cruise sector. “
The Cruise Lines International Association report estimates that the Australian economy has suffered a loss of $ 5 billion since March when cruise lines ceased operations.
The cruise industry has more than 18,000 full-time positions in a number of industries. There are thousands of travel agents, farmers, animators, tour operators, port facilities, and maritime and logistics services affected by the ban.
While we’ll see domestic cruises in Israel, Singapore, Spain, Italy, and possibly the UKIt is too early to say whether Australia will be on this list. However there Richard D. Fain said this weekThe final weeks of the pandemic will prove to be the toughest, which could very well mean cruises are just around the corner for us all.
Main Photo: JT888 / Shutterstock.com
