Cruises to Operate Again in the Canarian Ports from November 5th

Canary Islands

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The protocol includes insurance, medical equipment on board, consultation with health centres and hotels on each island in case of quarantine

The Government of the Canary Islands has authorised several shipping companies to operate cruise trips between the ports of the archipelago as of November 5th, once the companies have committed to comply with the strict sanitary protocol agreed by the Public Works, Transport and Housing departments and Health, to guarantee the safety of both tourists and residents.

As reported by the Government of the Canary Islands, in this way the negotiation process started last summer when several shipping companies addressed the Autonomous Executive interested in activating the autumn-winter season of their cruises only between the Canarian ports.

The companies TUI Cruises and Hapag Lloyd Cruises have been the first to obtain this authorization after both assuming, through a responsible declaration, full compliance with the health protocol established by the regional authorities.

Among the conditions that have been required of these shipping companies is that of subscribing to an insurance policy to attend to possible incidents related to COVID-19 among the passengers while they operate in the Canary Islands.

They have also been required to enter into agreements with hospitals and hotels on each of the islands in case it is necessary to activate a quarantine, in addition to a special hygiene plan for ships and the hiring of embarked health personnel.

Both ministries, considering that it is essential to recover this type of tourism due to the economic activity it generates in the archipelago, then agreed to establish a protocol that would guarantee all the health requirements related to the crisis generated by COVID-19.

The Canary Islands Government will only authorize this tourist activity to European companies , since the health protocols that the EU has established are among the most demanding in the world. Some five European cruise tourism companies have already shown interest in the Canarian winter circuit. In addition, cruise companies will be required to ensure that their ships do not exceed 60 or 70% of their capacity.

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