The Eastern Seaboard Protocols, which have been dictating Australian cruise COVID practices for two years, could be dropped shortly.
A review of national and state regulations is set to begin, according to Jeff Gillies, Commercial Director of Coral Expeditions.
“We understand that there may be some updates to the national and state regulations in the month ahead and that vaccine requirements may be up for review. We will look closely at the legislation changes and then apply to our company policy where we see fit.
“We expect the new directions to come as soon as April 23 and we would review and make any changes shortly thereafter.”
Mr Gillies said for Coral Expeditions, small expeditions ships could maintain stringent health regulations due to the risky nature of travelling to remote areas, far from medical services, this could spell significant change for the larger cruise lines.
Currently, per the Eastern Seaboard Protocols, all passengers 12 years and older must be vaccinated, passengers symptomatic on the day of boarding are subject to further assessment and take a negative RAT test within 24 hours of boarding.
If the upcoming review leads to a change in these requirements, we could see the major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, P&O and Carnival Cruise Line update their policies accordingly.
This would follow the pattern in the United States, where cruise lines began to lift their policy after President Joe Biden announced the ceasing of COVID’s classification as a public health emergency from May 11 onwards. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention removed its recommendation for vaccine requirements, cruise lines have begun adjusting their own COVID policies.
Major cruise lines in the US such as Carnival Cruises, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania, P&O Cruises, Princess, Royal Caribbean and more currently allow unvaccinated passengers the majority of the time, but still maintain some rules around pre-screening, testing and onboard isolation.
However, some cruise lines such as Cunard, Ponant, Lindblad, Oceania and Windstar are planning to eliminate their requirements altogether, which wouldn’t just mean no vaccination requirements, but also no pre-cruise screening and no isolation onboard.
Dom Berle, CEO of Lindblad expeditions said: “I think health concerns are going down dramatically.
“We’re seeing very few incidences of Covid on the ships. That obviously gets back to guests that are communicating with each other and their community. I think people are feeling safe.”
CEO of Americas at Ponant, Navin Sawhney, had a similar outlook: “After careful consideration of the lower incidence of Covid infections, combined with the higher rate of vaccinated and boosted guests, we have decided to relax our policy.”
A spokesperson for Oceania told Cruise Passenger: “The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is of paramount importance. We have relaxed our Covid health and safety protocols in line with the current public health environment. Except where required by local governments, we have eliminated ALL vaccine and testing requirements. We will freely allow all guests onboard regardless of testing or vaccination status.”
In Australia, there are no nationwide rules requirement cruise passengers to be vaccinated, however, the majority of states are operating under the Eastern Seaboard Protocols, which do require this.
While 95% of Australians aged 12 and older are vaccinated, any changes to policy would be significant to the unvaccinated, as well as families with younger children that may find it hard to sail with current vaccination thresholds.
Only 59.1% of Australians aged five to 15 are currently vaccinated, meaning some cruising families with young children haven’t always been able to take to the seas.
Currently 95% of those sailing on ships in Australia must be vaccinated, with the 5% allowing for unvaccinated children and those with medical exemptions.
Furthermore, this would mean that if you have COVID and still wish to sail, or contract it onboard but still feel well enough to move around the ship, you’ll be able to.
Queensland Health weren’t able to confirm if the protocols will be reviewed soon, writing in a statement.
“The Eastern Seaboard and Western Australia Cruise Protocols have been developed by the Queensland, New South Wales, Victorian and Western Australia Governments in close partnership with the cruise industry.
“Queensland regularly liaises with its Eastern Seaboard and Western Australian counterparts on the protocols, which are regularly reviewed.”
The New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet is currently unable to comment due to being in caretaker mode for the upcoming election.
With cruise policies in Australia set for a potential shake up, how do you feel about unvaccinated cruisers potentially rejoining you onboard?
You can see from a lot of comments here that many people are still laboring under the false assumption that the vaccine prevents transmission of covid-19. To put it succinctly – it does not and never has. A vaccinated and unvaccinated person are both capable of transmitting the disease and indeed like this article suggests, since most people are vaccinated, statistically speaking the vast majority of covid-19 transmissions are from vaccinated person to vaccinated person. There is no empirical evidence that vaccination affects transmission rates at all.
Furthermore, since the majority of unvaccinated Australians skew younger (in the low risk group) most of them have already contracted covid-19 but did not represent with any symptoms other than a common cold. This has been found to be true in other western nations similar to ours, as I believe a serological study of school children in the UK proved that 95% of school age children had covid-19 antibodies without vaccination – all from previous infections. Or to put it bluntly – unvaccinated children are likely to have BETTER immune responses at this point in time than vaccinated and boosted adults.
In light of that, the requirement to be vaccinated seems odd as it does NOT protect other people from catching the disease. At most, it may prevent YOU from being extremely sick when you catch it, but that seems largely to be a factor of age as people below the age of 50 are largely very safe (as in, you are 4x more likely to die in a car accident than die from covid-19 if you are in your 40’s and those odds just improve the younger you get).
Frankly, if we were following the actual science on this topic, we would have banned anyone 60 years and older from cruising, regardless of vaccination status, as that demographic is in the high risk group even with the vaccination. I suspect that this would have been crippling to the cruise industry, which is why we never took that approach, although it’s scientifically the best way to preserve lives. This is no joke – for the longest time in Australia, the number 1 co-morbidity with covid-19 deaths was dementia/Alzheimer’s and the median age of death is *still* TWO YEARS higher than the median life expectancy.
This has been a bit of a rant, but I’m still incensed at how our governments around the world handled this health crisis. To be perfectly blunt – we squandered millions and millions of doses of vaccine on perfectly healthy people who had a greater chance of being struck by lightning than dying from covid-19 while elderly people who have in some cases a FIVE HUNDRED times greater chance of dying were left without because corporations like Pfizer and Moderna are not going to ship free doses to Africa or East Asia when western nations are waving their wallets around. Frankly, our children are going to look at how we handled this and are going to be ashamed.
Why is this even Happening unvacinated people are so much healthier than the vaccinated, the vax is what is harming and killing people. All those brainwased fools beliveing unvaxed are the problem you seriously need to wake up . Been proven in the supreme court, no trial were done on transmission, so their has never been any evidence tthat the vax stops stransmission. This is now discrimination at the highest level and needs to be stopped . Unvacinated are healthy wealthy and wise and should be allowed to cruise if the wish
Those of you against unvaccinated cruising,please wake up and educate yourself.
The jab is not saving you from covid,not protecting you,you will get civid jabbed or not!!
It is time to lift all restrictions in line with the rest of the world. Unvaccinated people can go anywhere so why not cruises. We have all suffered enough and COVID-19 does not discriminate between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.Practice good hygiene and do the right thing by others.
“Most covid infections on cruises are from vaccinated passengers – as unvaccinated are banned from Australian cruises .”
That’s a ridiculous statement. Just because something is the majority doesn’t make it bad, at fault or should be banned.
We could equally say “Most covid infections on cruises are from white passengers – as non-whites are fewer on Australian cruises .” or even “Most covid infections on cruises are from living passengers – as dead passengers can’t book cruises .” So all living passengers should be banned???
Well to those who have commented here saying they do not want to cruise or be near unvaccinated, Whst do you do when you go shopping etc – you have no idea who is vaccd or unvaccd.
Maybe best you stay home.
All these mandates should never have been in place in the first place.
Eastern seaboard protocol should be abolished. We have the right to make our own choices – Australia is supposed to be a democratic country.
Let’s go back to normal snd let people lives their lives as they wish.
Please stop making people have the jab to go cruising..no jab would be amazing so we can cruise again
I do have to giggle at the super smart people on here saying they won’t cruise with unvaxxed the indoctrin- Oh I mean education system sure got them well and truly by the balls. Dude, isn’t your vax supposed to protect you? Lmao!!!
The covid cruise mandates must be lifted as this is a form of discrimination against Australians who are tax payers and deserve better than this treatment !
If I can work in an office, go to the movies, travel on planes , eat in restaurants , go to footy and Tennis with huge crowds,
Why can’t I cruise?
The mandates have been lifted across most parts of the world for the cruise industry and we need to follow and learn to live with this as other countries are doing .
I feel like a second class citizen not being able to cruise . It is my choice not to be vaccinated
Many Australians are not vaccinated due to reasons such as religion, medical or other personal reasons. We should be allowed to cruise as we do not carry a virus . We all know covid 19 virus came from overseas!
This is a democratic country – why are we being penalised for being unvaccinated?
This is going backwards and we need to do the right thing by all Aussies. Terminate these mandates once and for all.
Let’s move on with our lives and let everyone cruise and inject cash into our beautiful country. I say bring down cruise mandates ASAP . They are ridiculous and we are no longer in a pandemic crises. There is not one valid reason to retain these mandates – they should have been removed by now.
I think all covid mandates for cruising must be lifted in line with the rest of the world .
Most covid infections on cruises are from vaccinated passengers – as unvaccinated are banned from Australian cruises .
Everyone can see that it doesn’t matter anymore if you are vaccinated or unvaccinated
Lift the mandates as I want to travel
I’m unvaccinated healthy and willing to contribute my money to the cruise industry to keep staff in jobs . And to spend money on Australian soil in different states
Let’s build our country back up from inflation
We are struggling in this country
Lifting covid mandates will improve this country in many significant ways .
Remove the ludicrous requirement! It’s as stupid as can be. Even Stevie Wonder can see through the charade. As for those of you who’ve said no – so much for your fraud injection working! The unvaccinated should be more afraid of being surrounded by a bunch of infectious sheep!
Ex Cruiser
No I shall not be cruising with unvaccinated people on the ship , having seen how covid spreads on board on previous cruises you can count me out.
How do they feel is this a joke ? I can go to work have a vaxed person turn up with covid and cough all over me but i still cant go on a cruise ship . Double standards, and its obvious the vaxed are still spreading it around cruise ships . Guesd what ive never had covid even with peoole coughing on me!
I think this is way over due come on Australia let us all be one again.
It is getting close to April 1st so I guess this is an April Fools Joke.
It’s not a problem.
Time this discrimination ended.
We know that being unvaccinated makes no difference in catching or spreading the disease so these restrictions are ridiculous and need to be dropped, and I’m vaccinated.
They have to be JOKING, after travelling on the Majestic Princess over the Christmas/New Year cruise, we were required to wear masks in the public areas which while were a little disappointed, we were happy with our cruise. One thing we noticed, a second RAT test was undertaken 2 days into our cruise which was supervised by our cabin steward.
We were again on the Majestic Princess on the Northern Australia cruise which sailed on the 27th February from Brisbane to Port Douglas but the ship had picked up passengers in Sydney before Brisbane. There was no wearing of masks but we were careful as RAT tests were part of boarding. Part of our cruise included calling back into Sydney to disembark passengers we guess who were not doing the around Australia section of the cruise.
The people who boarded in Sydney were very open to not distancing there selves in the lifts & sadly my wife & I both finished with Covid, along with another couple who live in our village, so thanks for that.
We have a cruise booked in January’24, to Tasmania, makes us wonder if it is worth the risk.
Hugh Moffitt
max_moff @bigpond.net.au
Unvaccinated people are no threat to anyone! This is WAY overdue!!!! If the jabs worked then what are people worried about? The unvaxxed don’t carry the disease and spread it around ♀️ It’s no different to going on a plane, going to a fully packed stadium which are all inclusive now. Cruises need to get with the times.
I would like the mask protocols removed. I realize this statement is short and sweet however it has a bearing on the enjoyment factor.
So if the unvaccinated are to be allowed to travel departing Australia I think mask wearing should go also at the same time.
About time! Cannot believe that this even happened at all! Most of the unvaxxed that have had covid have stronger immunity than the vaxxed! Maybe there should be cruises just for the unvaxxed 😛 No…. the discrimination was horrible and unnecessary.
It is Stupid to let Unvaccinated and Untested passengers travel on a cruise ship. If they bring it on board, they will infect a large number of unknowing passengers. Especially in Restaurants, Bars, Theatres, Corridors and Lifts. I for one do not want to be anywhere near an unvaccinated person on a Cruise Ship at sea.
Finally! Time to bring Australia inline with the rest of the cruise world.
There are no restrictions anywhere else in Australia for unvaccinated residents or tourists so why is this outdated requirement still upon the cruise industry?
I am vaccinated but have many family members of various ages that cannot get vaccinated for various reasons and they are longing to join family cruising holidays again.
Commonsense will finally prevail!
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I think this is a good, progressive move to the Australian cruise industry being more inclusive and welcoming of all passengers regardless of whether they are vaccinated against covid or not. It has been very clear for over a year that this vaccination makes little to no difference to you catching covid, so why have the regulations not changed before now? Australia are one of the last countries that are relaxing their outdated rules and cruise lines are likely losing a lot of money by being made to enforce health measures that make no difference. The same cruise lines who come to Australia also port around the world and they have no restrictions like what Australia are enforcing.
Well done Australia! Now let’s get moving and get these rules changed so that we as a nation are more inclusive for ALL the avid cruise fans.
Its way overdue!!! …There are many studies that show that the unvaccinated are at no greater risk of getting COVID than the vaccinate, and even one observational study that clearly showed that the more jabs one had, the more likely they were to get infected.
Secondly most of us have had COVID by now and the evidence is clear that past infection is superior to being vaccinated in accordance with the requirements of the Eastern Seaboard Protocol.
It is therefore in my opinion discrimination against a certain group of people for their choices, rather than about health outcomes, and I welcome the discrimination ending
I totally agree with unvaccinated people being able to cruise. Unvaccinated people are allowed to travel by plane which demands them sitting in very close proximity to other passenger for many hours. Surely this is riskier than cruising.
Also if Victoria does not allow unvaccinated people to cruise, why can unvaccinated people sail from Victoria to Tasmania.
Other countries allow unvaccinated people to cruise. Has there been any major problems?
There is no common sense in any of this.
The state governments need to get up to date with the airlines rest of the world.