Mask mandate returns on cruise ships

A cruise line has reintroduced mandatory mask wearing on ships after a spike in Covid cases – with health officials across the country recommending face coverings.

Carnival Cruises management said in a statement that ‘out of an abundance of caution’ masks would return to ‘adapt to the evolving public health situation’. 

Passengers must now wear them onboard in all public indoor spaces, outdoors when in large groups where physical distancing isn’t possible and also when they are embarking or disembarking from the ship. 

Another cruise ship, The Majestic Princess, sailed into Sydney with 800 infected passengers on-board last week, prompting fears of more cases spreading through NSW.

Australia is in the midst of a large Covid outbreak, prompting health officials in several states to urge the public to wear face masks indoors and on public transport. 

While masks have never stopped being recommended in crowded places or on public transport, officials are now renewing calls for people to wear them in light of surging infection rates.

Carnival Cruises have reintroduced mandatory mask wearing on ships after a spike in Covid cases

Australia is once again in the midst of a massive Covid outbreak and health officials have urged the public to wear face masks indoors and on public transport (pictured, Sydney commuters)

While masks have never stopped being recommended in crowded places or on public transport, officials are now renewing calls for people to wear them in light of surging infection rates

Carnival Cruise passengers aren’t required to wear masks when they are eating or drinking. 

‘Our dedication to the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit is reflected in our Have Fun. Be Safe. protocols and procedures, which were developed in consultation with our medical experts and have proven effective and adaptable to the evolving public health situation,’ a statement from Carnival Cruises said.

‘In line with government protocols, until further notice, we will operate vaccinated cruises with our enhanced protocols. All our operations will follow these guidelines so we can maintain the confidence of the destinations we visit and deliver on our itineraries and guest experience.

‘Out of an abundance of caution, for the time being, masks are required.’

It comes after The Majestic Princess sailed into Circular Quay at 6am last Saturday before allowing all its 3,300 guests and 1,300 crew to disembark despite a Covid outbreak on board.

Cruise line bosses said the cases showed mild symptoms or were asymptomatic and encouraged them to take private transport so they could isolate at home.

Top health experts were left infuriated claiming the move will lead to increased cases, put more strain on hospitals, and cause more deaths in the community.

Outraged Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson tweeted: ‘Here’s a prediction I’m going to put money behind. 

‘If the major public hospitals on the east coast aren’t overwhelmed with patients and facing staff shortages over the holiday break – I’ll donate $1,000 to charity.’

Professor Robson is a staunch supporter of Covid mandates and spoke out when the federal government made the decision to reduce the isolation time period in September, before they scrapped it altogether in October.

He also backs the use of face masks even though it is no longer mandatory, while weary residents are keen to move on from the pandemic and leave behind all the exhausting mandates. 

Jimmy Barnes was scheduled to sign copies of his new album Blue Christmas at Penrith Panthers Leagues Club on November 26. But the 66-year-old Cold Chisel founder ditched the gig citing reasons of public safety

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Another cruise ship, The Majestic Princess, sailed into Sydney with 800 infected passengers on-board last week, prompting fears of more cases spreading through NSW

Although there are no new official health orders in place, authorities across the country are growing increasingly cautious after an 80 per cent uptick in cases in some states as mutated variants of the virus run rampant.

New South Wales saw 27,869 new cases in the week leading up to November 17, up from 16,636 the week before – which itself was a 63 per cent increase – prompting a warning from Chief Public Health Officer Kerry Chant.

The wave of infections has prompted Aussie rock music legend Jimmy Barnes to cancel a personal appearance in Western Sydney.

The Scottish-born singer was scheduled to sign copies of his new album Blue Christmas at Penrith Panthers Leagues Club on November 26.

But the 66-year-old Cold Chisel founder ditched the gig citing reasons of public safety, The Western Weekender reported.

Australia, Spain, and the UK are among the only countries where there is no mandatory isolation for people who test positive – with most imposing between five and seven.

BA.5, BA.2.75, XBB, and BQ.1 are among the strains circulating in the community, driving up infections, and evading immunity from vaccinations and past infections.

Meanwhile, travellers heading up to the northern hemisphere were advised by NSW Health to make sure their Covid-19 and flu vaccinations were up to date. 

But while infection rates are rising fast they are well below this year’s high Omicron peaks in January, April and July.

These months saw the seven-day rolling average of case numbers of 47,543, 21,000 and 14,700, respectively. 

Nation Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly on Monday said this fourth Omicron wave wreaking havoc on Australia is set to hit its peak in the coming weeks and will likely decline sharply – as medical data from Singapore’s recent wave suggests.

However, another expert warned not to rely on trends in foreign countries. 

‘The waves of COVID are not happening the same way in every place,’ said Nancy Baxter, the head of the University of Melbourne’s School Of Population And Global Health.

‘It’s not like it was before when you would have Delta in India, then the UK, and you could see it passing through the world and eventually it would come to Australia.’

‘What this wave has shown us is that as much as we would love COVID to be over, it definitely isn’t,’ Australian Medical Association Vice President Danielle McMullen said.

‘We need to take significant steps in the way we practice medicine in hospitals and other healthcare settings to make sure that we’re keeping people safe.’

In the last week, 39 people deaths were related to Covid – with a further 37 people in NSW ICU. 

Last week, Queenslanders were told to wear face masks in some settings as the state raises its Covid alert level as it enters a ‘fourth wave’ of the pandemic.

Hospitalisations have more than doubled to 205 in the past week, while 73 people have died and 21,761 new cases have been recorded since the beginning of October.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the virus alert level will rise from green to amber last Thursday.

That means face marks are recommended on in indoor settings where people can’t socially distance, including public transport, in healthcare facilities and around older or vulnerable people.