On Saturday, the cruise ship “Celebrity Edge” sailed from Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
It is the first time in over 15 months that a larger cruise ship has set sail from a US port.
– I am really proud, humble and honored to take the helm of “Celebrity Edge” again today, and lead our industry back on the water and back in operation, said captain and Instagram star, Kate McCue, to the press before the trip.
Turns off alarm: – Out of control
A milestone
The voyage is described by several media, including CNN, as a significant milestone for the cruise industry, which has been subject to huge restrictions through the pandemic.
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In the last year, thousands of jobs and billions of kroner have gone into the sink.
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However, normal conditions are not correct yet: Normally, the ship in question carries 2,918 guests, but now sails with 36 percent capacity, for infection control reasons.
The number who are now going on a week-long luxury trip is therefore 1,100 pieces.
CRUISE: For the first time in 15 months, the giant ship Celebrity Edge left the quay, with a third of maximum passenger capacity. Photo: Lynne Sladky / AP / NTB
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In 2009, the total number of cruise passengers was 19.1 million, according to Statista. The number has only increased each year, to almost 30 million in 2019.
Then the numbers turned blood red. When the virus took a toll on the world community, most of the world’s cruise ships were docked.
Over the past 15 months, the three companies described as “the big three” in the United States; Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean, lost a total of 24.5 billion dollars, according to CBS. This corresponds to approximately DKK 208 billion.
– Fear we will not see the family again
Cheers
The tourists who boarded the “Celebrity Edge” on Saturday, received great cheers and applause from the crew, writes Cruise Critic. The press conference prior to the voyage must have been of the emotional kind.
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– Today we really write history … It means so much to each individual in the company to be part of the story of the reconstruction of the tourist economy, said Richard Fain, CEO of the company behind the cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Group.
Then the song “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff was played at the facility.
Holiday paradise with vaccine grips
The tourists will cruise around for a week. According to CBS, the trip will be of the luxurious kind. The ship houses, among other things, a giant spa and some suites that extend over several floors.
The ship itself is worth around one billion dollars, close to 8.5 billion kroner.
The company states that 95 percent of the travelers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, which is in line with the American infection control agency CDC’s requirements.
Closes to give employees vacation
Restrictions
In some countries, cruises are still banned: including Australia, while Canada has put them on ice until February next year, writes CNN.
Martyn Griffiths of the industry association Cruise Lines International Associations (CLIA), which represents the world’s largest cruise companies, tells the channel that 16 percent of CLIA’s ships are now back in operation.
He further estimates that it is only at the end of 2022 that all ships will return to normal.
Seven out of ten say no to this
– The safest holiday
Griffiths calls cruises one of the safest ways to vacation, according to CNN.
“It is proof of the effectiveness of our procedures that we have had over 550,000 passengers so far without any major outbreak of covid on board,” he says.
According to CNN, the industry has not been completely exempt from cases of infection, but the cases that have emerged must have been dealt with quickly.
The industry believes that when covid is detected on a ship, it is a “sign that the system is working”. They cite examples where boarders who test positive are denied travel.
Spain with good news
Doctor and infection control expert William Schaffner tells CNN that the measures introduced for the industry are like “several layers of Swiss cheese”.
– It is about creating more security layers. Each layer has a barrier, but also small holes. So you insert another and another, and another after that. And if you do a whole range of things, then the risk associated with the activity – in this case the cruise – is reduced.
– A sad cityscape
Nakstad answers
Dagbladet has contacted the assistant health director, Espen Nakstad.
– Do you agree with the statement that cruise tourism is safest?
– This is an example of corona certificate-like schemes that are being established in more and more countries, where they point to those who are fully vaccinated and who are known to be well protected against becoming seriously ill and from becoming contagious, says Nakstad.
He adds that there is a room for opportunity now, with vaccinations and more and more rapid tests, which minimizes the risk greatly.
– It is very difficult to say how big the risk is, depending on the infection pressure in the country where the tourists come from. I would probably say that in Europe, as it looks now, the infection pressure is starting to be so low that the probability of a tourist infecting many people in Norway will be very small.
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