In response to the decline of the epidemic, the previous government implemented the second phase of relaxation of social distancing measures from May. The cruise ship "High Seas Cruise" was approved to resume operations in the second half of the same month. However, for three months now, the "High Seas Cruise" has not resumed, and some cruise ships have withdrawn. Hong Kong, even bankruptcy.
Representatives of the tourism industry met yesterday (16th) with the Deputy Director of the Medical and Health Bureau, Li Xia Yin, to discuss the relaxation of quarantine restrictions and circuit breaker mechanisms for cruise travel, so as to facilitate the resumption of "high seas travel" as soon as possible, with the goal of returning cruise ships to Hong Kong in the fourth quarter.
Yao Pak-leung, a member of the Legislative Council of the tourism industry, said that with a circuit breaker mechanism, it would be difficult to attract large cruise lines to return to Hong Kong to operate. He hoped that the government's epidemic prevention thinking could keep pace with the times and use other epidemic prevention measures to replace the circuit breaker mechanism.
Advocate for epidemic prevention requirements instead of hope for resumption in the fourth quarter of this year
Yao Boliang said that cruise lines are deterred by Hong Kong's circuit breaker mechanism. According to the mechanism, as long as one percent of the crew is diagnosed, the cruise must be suspended for three days.
He believes that the circuit breaker mechanism is very troublesome to operators and guests, and the tourism industry is also "cooking food and losing a lot of money".
He believes that if the cruise line can provide a "practice that everyone can feel at ease and accept" to satisfy the health department, it may not necessarily need a circuit breaker.
Yao Boliang also pointed out that more than 90 countries around the world have resumed cruise business, which shows that Hong Kong is currently in a state of great backwardness. It is hoped that the government's epidemic prevention thinking will keep pace with the times, and use other epidemic prevention measures to replace the circuit breaker mechanism to attract cruise companies to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible. The first step is to resume the "high seas cruise" of cruise ships, and the second step is to resume the cross-border business of cruise ships, and even attract cruise companies to operate their business in Hong Kong as their home port.
As for the relaxation of quarantine measures for inbound passengers to "3+4", Yao Boliang believes that although the plan will help increase the number of inbound tourists, there is no hope for tourists for the time being.
Many citizens have reported that it is not easy to receive nucleic acid testing within the designated time before boarding, because it is becoming more and more difficult to find testing centers overseas for testing.
Travel on the High Seas｜The tourism industry sees the Medical and Health Bureau urges relaxation of the circuit breaker mechanism for cruise ships and strives for the resumption of the cruise line in the fourth quarter. The related companies of Star Cruises have started the liquidation process and submitted a petition to the shipyard company to withdraw their application for a Norwegian cruise to visit mysterious Bermuda. The industry promises to disappear and refund the full amount of netizens: Disappearing point to return to Thailand. Travel fees will be collected from passengers. Passengers will be charged for aircraft and cruise entry. Only 4 types of people are exempted.
