Travelore Cruise News: Canada Blocks Cruise Ships For A Year, Ending Alaska Trips

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Canadian government has extended a ban on cruise ships through February 2022, which is expected to block trips from visiting Alaska this year.

Transport Canada on Thursday announced the extension of the ban enacted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada blocked cruise ships of more than 100 passengers starting in spring 2020.

The ban was set to expire at the end of February, but Transport Canada said “cruise vessels in Canadian waters pose a risk to our health care systems.”

Most large cruise ships visiting Alaska are registered in foreign countries.

U.S. federal law prohibits foreign-registered ships from sailing between two American ports without stopping at a foreign port between. Large cruise ships bound for Alaska either begin voyages in Canada or stop there on the way.

Most of Alaska’s 1.3 million visitors two years ago were cruise ship passengers visiting southeast Alaska. Many disembarked for excursions in Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks.

Last year, the pandemic and Canadian restrictions resulted in only 48 cruise ship passengers visiting Southeast Alaska, Juneau-based Rain Coast Data reported.

Juneau City Manager Rorie Watt said he was not surprised by the extended ban, although he thought it might last a few months instead of the entire year.

“Three months ago, we thought we’d see ships in May,” Watt said. “A month ago maybe we’d see them in June, two weeks ago maybe we’d see them in July and last week, we thought maybe we’d see them in August.”

The order could be rescinded if pandemic conditions improve. But Skagway Mayor Andrew Cremata did not see a possibility for relief for now.

“Any idea that there could be some kind of workaround is off the table now, because the Canadian government has stated very clearly that cruise ships will not even be allowed in Canadian waters,” Cremata said.

Watt said Southeast Alaska port communities weathering another year without revenue from cruise ship passengers and related businesses will need help.

“We are going to be hoping and praying for a large federal stimulus package,” Watt said.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Canada To Quarantine Travelers, Suspend Flights To The Caribbean And Mexico.

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced stricter restrictions on travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus — including making it mandatory for travelers to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense when they arrive in Canada and suspending airline service to Mexico and all Caribbean destinations until April 30.

Trudeau said in addition to the pre-boarding test Canada already requires, the government will be introducing mandatory PCR testing at the airport for people returning to Canada.

“Travelers will then have to wait for up to three days at an approved hotel for their test results, at their own expense, which is expected to be more than $2,000,” Trudeau said.

“Those with negative test results will then be able to quarantine at home under significantly increased surveillance and enforcement.”

He said the measure will be take effect “in the coming weeks.”

The steep cost for the hotel stay includes the cost for a private PCR test, security, food and the cost of measures the designated hotels will have to take to keep their workers safe.

“The cost is a ballparking. This isn’t like any other facility. This is one where there has to be infection prevention control measures, security and other costs as well. It’s not just a regular stay at a hotel,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer.

Tam also said a test will be required on the 10th day after people return.

The prime minister said those with positive tests will be immediately required to quarantine in designated government facilities to make sure they’re not carrying variants of particular concern.

Trudeau also said the government and Canada’s main airlines have agreed to suspend service to sun destinations right away. He said Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing, and Air Transat are cancelling air service to all Caribbean destinations and Mexico starting Sunday until April 30.

“They will be making arrangements with their customers who are currently on a trip in these regions to organize their return flights,” Trudeau said.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said in a statement that “the government of Mexico expresses its hope that the measure recently announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can be withdrawn as soon as possible, in order to avoid a deep economic crisis in the North American Region.”

Trudeau said starting next week, all international passenger flights to Canada must land at four airports: Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Montreal.

“We will also, in the coming weeks, be requiring nonessential travelers to show a negative test before entry at the land border with the US, and we are working to stand up additional testing requirements for land travel,” Trudeau said.

Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before arrival.

Tam, Canada’s top health official, said that security contractors will be going door-to-door to check on returnees who are isolating at home.

The move to require a hotel stay upon return would discourage vacations as people would not want to have to quarantine at a hotel at their own expense upon return.

“It’s excellent. It’s a shame it’s this late. This is something they could have done ages ago,” said Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai-University Health Network.

“This is definitely a step in the right direction.”

More and more governments are thinking about ways to be more aggressive because of the new variants, delays in vaccines, the challenges with getting the population vaccinated and the strains on health care systems.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said officials have been urging Canadians to cancel all nonessential travel and are trying to eliminate it.

“Unfortunately, some are making the choice to engage in nonessential travel. If they are going to make that choice, they should bear the full cost,” Blair said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his province will begin testing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday as a stop gap until federal measures are in place.

Trudeau also announced there will be a delay in part of the next shipment of the Moderna vaccine, which arrives next week. He said Canada will receive 78% of the expected amount, translating to 180,000 doses.

Canada To Require Negative Test For People Entering Country

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government said Wednesday that passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before they arrive in the country.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the measure will be implemented in the next few days.

Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and it has already banned all flights from the United Kingdom because of the new variant of COVID-19 spreading there.

The decision came a day after the premier of Canada’s largest province said he had ordered his finance minister to end a Caribbean vacation he took at a time the government is urging people to avoid nonessential travel because of the pandemic.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday it is “unacceptable” that Finance Minister Rod Phillips went to the French island of St. Barts for the holidays.

“We’re going to have a very tough conversation when he gets back,” Ford said. “There can’t be rules for elected people and nonelected people.”

Ford said Phillips “never told anyone” he was leaving but Ford said he knew Phillips was out of the country “shortly after he arrived.”

“My mistake. I take full responsibility. At that time, I should have said ‘get your backside back into Ontario’ and I didn’t do that,” Ford said.

The finance minister’s Twitter account had suggested that he was in Ontario while he has been in St. Barts. In a video posted on Christmas Eve, he was shown sitting by a fireplace with a gingerbread house and a little Christmas tree and drinking eggnog.

Phillips said he was returning immediately.

Opposition parties called for Phillips to be removed from cabinet.

Phillips also travelled to Switzerland in August.

“Some Canadians are still travelling for nonessential reasons. This is deeply concerning. We must reiterate that now is not the time to travel,” Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said Wednesday.

Ontario began a provincewide lockdown on Dec. 26 and Ford has been blaming travelers for bringing the new coronavirus to the province.

Canada’s national government and the Ontario government have both repeatedly asked Canadians not to travel abroad during the pandemic.

The Ford government already was being criticized for halting vaccination operations over the holidays and for delaying a provincewide lockdown until the day after Christmas.

Ontario set a new daily record for cases on Wednesday with 2,923, with just over one-third of them in the country’s largest city of Toronto.