Cruises: travel vaccinated or with travel insurance 0:57
(CNN Spanish) -
Cruise ship passengers arriving in Puerto Rico and who are not vaccinated will not be able to disembark on the island even if they have tested negative for covid-19, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority reported this Thursday. (APPR), the Department of Health and the Tourism Company.
This measure is part of a protocol they have established with the Carnival Cruise Line, the first ship company to dock with passengers in Puerto Rico since the covid-19 pandemic began and cruise travel was stopped.
The arrival of the first cruise is scheduled for next Tuesday, August 3, with the Mardi Gras boat.
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"As part of the conversations we have had and the agreement we have reached with the Carnival cruise line following the conditional order to sail issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English), Ports, Health and Tourism have implemented safeguards to allow the entry of cruise ships with passengers to the island in the safest way possible, "said Joel A. Pizá Batiz, executive director of APPR.
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Pizá Batiz explained that, as part of the protocol, Carnival cruises must have a minimum of 95% of passengers and crew vaccinated against covid-19.
In addition to vaccination requirements, the protocols require all unvaccinated passengers to undergo a molecular PCR test prior to boarding.
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Before boarding, the line will ask everyone questions and a symptom check.
Those passengers who are not vaccinated, even if they have tested negative for covid-19, will not be able to go ashore.
Those not vaccinated will wear a special bracelet for easy identification.
Both Ports and Health have reserved the right to terminate these agreements with the cruise line if they deem it meritorious.
For his part, the executive director of the Tourism Company, Carlos Mercado, indicated that "the restart of cruise operations on the island marks another milestone in the recovery plan for the tourism sector in Puerto Rico."
CruisesVaccine against coronavirus
