Posted18 avril 2022, 08:00
In March 2020, the arrival of a boat had caused an increase in Covid cases in the Australian population. Canberra has banned cruise passengers until the Pacific Explorer arrives in Sydney on Monday.
The “Pacific Explorer” arrives in Sydney with great fanfare.
AFP
A cruise liner docked in Sydney Harbor on Monday for the first time in more than two years after a ban meant to tackle the coronavirus pandemic was lifted. The “Pacific Explorer”, which displayed a huge “We are at home” banner, made a grand entrance in bright sunshine, surrounded by tugs throwing plumes of water.
Crowds gathered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge to witness the arrival of this ship, which traveled nearly 18,000 kilometers in almost a month to return to Australia.
Almost normal summer season?
International cruise ships were banned from Australian waters in March 2020, after an outbreak aboard the ‘Ruby Princess’, another cruise ship, spread across Australian territory, with some passengers being carriers of the virus. This had resulted in hundreds of Covid-19 cases and the deaths of 28 people. The ‘Pacific Explorer’ and other P&O-owned cruise liners have been moored off Cyprus for much of the past year, awaiting a lifting of that ban.
Bookings for P&O cruises in Australia are now close to pre-pandemic levels, said Lyndsey Gordon, a spokeswoman. “We are now looking at an almost normal summer season in 2022-2023!”
Before the pandemic, 350 cruise ships visited Australia, carrying more than 600,000 passengers. On the island-continent, this industry weighs 5.2 billion Australian dollars (3.6 billion francs), according to the International Association of Cruise Lines.
(AFP)