Brazilian health officials have asked the federal government there to cancel the entire remaining cruise season this year.
Director Alex Machado Campos of the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) broke the news to local and state health and tourism authorities at an online meeting, according to domestic national media outlets and the Brazilian branch of news network CNN.
Anvisa had prepared a technical advisory note calling on federal authorities to cancel the cruise season entirely, following an earlier suspension. The Anvisa director pointed to the rising number of Covid infections since last week, when the temporary recommendation was issued.
Brazil's 2021-2022 cruise season began on 1 November, and from then till Christmas, in the first 55 days of the season, the agency reckons there were 31 positive cases of Covid on cruise ships operating in Brazilian waters. But in the next 12 days after Christmas, there were 1,146 cases.
"[The] agency understands that the current scenario is unfavourable to the continuity of cruise ship operations," said the Anvisa chief as reported in the national newspaper O Globo.
"For this reason, based on the precautionary principle and based on all available data, the agency recommended the definitive suspension of the cruise ship season in Brazil, as a necessary action to protect the health of the population."
Just before New Year, the same agency had called for a temporary suspension of cruising, which was to be resumed on 21 January.
As TradeWinds has previously reported, that coincided with a similar US move. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) raised the Covid risk level on 30 December and issued a recommendation to avoid cruise ship outings.
But the US stopped short of compulsory measures. The CDC recommended that the public avoid cruise travel regardless of vaccination status, that those who cruise test for Covid before and after a voyage, and that they self-quarantine for five days following the cruise — a plea that drew criticism from the cruise industry lobbying group, the Cruise Lines International Association.
At the time of the new Brazilian announcement on 12 January, AIS services showed five large cruise ships belonging to MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises at anchor off Santos near Sao Paulo, and one ship underway and apparently leaving Brazil for more hospitable waters.
Oceania Cruises' 1,252-passenger Marina (built 2011) was last spotted off Recife making for Miami at a speed of 17 knots.
