Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines and the World Residences at Sea have signed port agreements formalizing their commitment to follow health and safety protocols to operate in the state, the Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbors Division has announced.
Under a Centers for Disease Control order, cruise lines capable of carrying over 250 persons (passenger and crew combined) with itineraries and overnight stays must have a formal agreement with local port and health agencies. The agreement has to have a medical component with an evacuation plan for passengers or crew needing care; a housing agreement if passengers or crew need to be quarantined or isolated, and language that cruise lines acknowledge and enact “public health response resources of the local jurisdictions and vaccination strategies.”
The agreements also call for every ship to have on-board testing and medical staff and for cruise lines to commit to “full vaccination rates in addition to pre-board testing and onboard safety and cleaning protocols.”
The agreements apply regardless of an expired CDC order and can only be superseded by a new agreement. At any time, the state can “suspend, rescind, or amend” the agreement as situations evolve, according to the Hawaii DOT.