A ban on cruise ships with over 100 people coming to Canada will remain in place until February 2022. The temporary measures for cruise ships were scheduled to end on February 28.
The Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced the interim order, and extended an order banning pleasure craft in Canadian Arctic waters except for those used by residents of the region.
According to the government, cruise vessels in Canadian waters pose a risk to health-care systems. The government is also focusing efforts on “the most pressing issues, including the vaccine rollout and new COVID-19 variants.”
Whati is more, the Canadian government urged Canadians to avoid travel on cruise ships altogether for the time being.
As CBC says, essential passenger vessels, such as ferries and water taxis, should continue to follow local public health guidance and mitigation measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future outbreaks.
However, the Minister of Transport can take back the ban if the pandemic situation improves enough to allow the resumption of cruising.
Commenting on the ban, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said the extended ban was disappointing, but not a surprise, while Mike Cochrane, the CEO of Port Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island, supports the ban extension to keep everyone safe.
Nevertheless, this ban could have “a big impact” not only for the port, but for the entire tourism industry.
Finally, Mr. Cochrane stated that all ports should work together to restore confidence in cruising so that it can resume as soon as possible when conditions are safe. As he said, he is optimistic that this could happen in 2022.
