How Cruising May Never Be The Same

Mandatory COVID-19 tests, masks, daily temperature checks and a ban on buffets could become the new normal on cruises ahead of plans to get ships back into Sydney Harbour by [/news/christmas/index.html Christmas].
Cruises have been banned in Australia since March 18 after the Ruby Princess fiasco, when numerous contagious passengers disembarked at Circular Quay, and subsequently spread the virus across the country and overseas. 
The cruise is thought to be the single biggest spreader of [/news/coronavirus/index.html coronavirus] in Australia, with the plagued ship linked to a minimum of 900 cases and 28 deaths.
But the suspension, which only allows ships with fewer than 100 passengers, is set to expire on December 17.
Mandatory COVID-19 tests, masks, daily temperature checks and a ban on buffets could become the new normal on cruises 
The government and Cruise Lines International Association Australasia has been working together on a raft of measures to safely bring back domestic cruising in stages (pictured, temperature checks aboard a cruise at the start of the pandemic in February)
Cruise Lines International Association Australasia proposed quarantining of ships and crew after returning to Australian ports, passenger health declarations and contact history screening (pictured, checks abroad a ship in Singapore in November)
The government and Cruise Lines International Association Australasia has been working together on a raft of measures to safely bring back domestic cruising in stages.
International cruising will not restart, as Australian borders have been closed since March 20 and show no sign of reopening until late next year at the earliest. 
The Association said a reduced capacity of passengers will allow for social distancing, [ ]reports. 
It also proposed quarantining of ships and crew after returning to Australian ports, passenger health declarations and kynghidongduong.vn contact history screening.
Cruise ships would also adopt measures followed by bars and restaurants, including the four square metre per person rule and hand sanitiser stations.
CLIA Australasia managing director Joel Katz said the Australian economy has taken an almost $2billion hit from the suspension of cruising. 
Another $3billion will be lost from the economy if the ban continues into next year, the industry body predicted.
The ban on cruising has had a grave ripple effect on travel agents, Tour du thuyền Hạ Long giá rẻ operators, hotels, food suppliers, bus companies and baggage handlers.
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'We have a long history in cruising in Australia and we are proposing a phased measured approach for cruising to resume in the country safely,' Mr Katz said.
'In the COVID world, we see a much bigger appetite for domestic cruising, but we may be able to open a bubble such as with New Zealand or the South Pacific — we are having discussions with those governments as well.
'We've done a lot of surveys of past passengers who are keen to cruise again. There is an expectations things will change on board.

But the indication is that they will be happy to comply.'
The Ruby Princess - which was low on medical supplies and swabs for COVID-19 tests due to shortages - left Sydney on March 8 for New Zealand and returned 11 days later.
Cruise ships would also adopt measures followed by bars and restaurants, including the 4sq m per person rule and hand sanitiser stations (pictured, holidaymakers in Spain)
Cruises have been banned in Australia since March 18 amid the Ruby Princess (pictured, at Circular Quay on March 19) fiasco, when numerous contagious passengers disembarked at Circular Quay, and spread the virus across the country and overseas 
Passengers disembarked before the results of 13 expedited tests showing at least three people had the virus on board the ship (pictured in April before it left Australia)
Despite the respiratory symptoms of numerous of those aboard and uncertainty surrounding test results, 2,700 passengers were permitted to disembark as the voyage had been deemed low risk by NSW health authorities.
This is because only 0.94 per cent of passengers presented to the ship's medical centre with flu-like symptoms - not the one per cent required to mandate NSW Health intervention - and none had visited virus-hit countries China, Italy, Iran or South Korea.
Passengers disembarked before the results of 13 expedited tests showing at least three people had the virus.