Australia, Guernsey and Seychelles extend their cruise ship bans

Australia this week extended its cruise ban through June 17, while the island of Guernsey canceled all cruises through 2022 and the Seychelles opened to all tourism except for cruise.

Australia’s health ministry said the Covid-19 situation overseas “continues to pose an unacceptable public health risk to Australia, including the emergence of more highly transmissible variants,” in its decision to extend the cruise ban by three months.

Guernsey, one of the U.K’.s Channel Islands, said the island will not accept cruise ship visits for the 2021 season, saying that while the cruise sector is important to Guernsey and its tourism industry, “due to the extensive operational and logistical requirements and plans necessary to ensure a safe experience for passengers, crew and residents, we have taken the proactive decision to cancel the cruise program for this year and to focus our efforts on the 2022 cruise program.” 

The Seychelles Thursday said it would welcome all visitors with a negative Covid-19 test, irrespective of their vaccination status, starting March 25. Cruise ships, however, are still not permitted to visit the archipelago. Last May, the Indian Ocean destination banned cruise ships for all of 2020.