Passengers of cruise ships with a valid Covid-19 vaccination or disease certificate will not have to fill in the electronic questionnaire Covidpass to enter Latvia, the government’s decision of 31 August provides.
In accordance with international regulations, information on all cruise ship passengers and the ship’s route is submitted to the International Freight Logistics and Port Information System (SKLOIS) and is available to all controlling authorities, including the State Border Guard and the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
The additional administrative burden currently imposed on cruise ship passengers in Latvia who have a valid Covid-19 vaccination or disease certificate, hereinafter Covid-19 certificate, by requiring them to fill in electronic questionnaires, the information of which is already available in SKLOIS, poses a risk that cruise ships may choose other routes. and not to call at Latvian ports. This would thus be to the detriment of cruise ship operators.
The amendments to the regulations stipulate that cruise ship passengers holding a valid Covid-19 certificate do not have to fill in a Covidpass. In turn, the carrier will be responsible for verifying the validity of the certificates presented by the passengers. Passengers who do not have a valid Covid-19 certificate will continue to carry a Covidpass.
It is thus intended to reduce the administrative burden on passengers and to encourage cruise ship operators.
Only cruise ships are accepted and serviced in the Port of Riga, for which a plan of measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 has been developed and is strictly observed. In 2021, a total of six cruise ship visits are planned in the port of Riga. The Freeport of Riga Authority has confirmed that so far all passengers over the age of 12 on 100 cruise ships that have entered Latvia have been 100% vaccinated. In addition, as part of a Baltic Sea cruise, passengers stay in the country whose port the ship enters for a very short time, six to a maximum of 12 hours, before moving on to their next destination.
The change in the regulatory framework does not apply to passengers of ferries that provide passenger transport on a particular route.
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