Four days ahead of schedule, the ship MSC Preziosa arrived at Pier Mauá, in the port area of Rio de Janeiro this Wednesday morning (5), with 2,500 passengers. According to the initial forecast, the vessel would be in navigation and would still have stops in Maceió, Alagoas, and in Salvador, Bahia. MSC was contacted by CNN, but did not inform the reason for the early arrival. I just said that all sanitary protocols are being followed by the company.
In a statement, the National Health Surveillance Agency reported that the ship had 33 cases of Covid-19, 25 among crew and eight among passengers. The vessel was classified as level three of the epidemiological scenario and, according to this assessment, new shipments were authorized on Sunday (2).
As usual, Anvisa accompanied the disembarkation, carrying out a health assessment in loco on the vessel. According to the agency, confirmed cases of Covid-19 and contacts were instructed to be quarantined. People who tested negative would also have been instructed to isolate and observe possible symptoms.
Two hours after docking in Rio de Janeiro, the first passengers left the ship, which underwent disinfection. Some tourists said they were not aware of the coronavirus cases on board.
In addition to the Preziosa, a second MSC ship ends its voyage this Thursday (6), in the port of Santos. The same day that the last ship of the Costa company docks in Rio de Janeiro, with 2,835 passengers. The three cruises were already in operation when the Brazilian Association of Cruise Ships (CLIA) decided, on Monday (3), to interrupt the season until January 21st. The shipments that were scheduled since then did not happen.
The decision came after Anvisa recommended the interruption of the ships season. In the five vessels operating in Brazil, more than 800 cases of coronavirus contamination were registered.
CLIA estimates that the three-week stoppage affected 15 weekly itineraries for five ships. A survey by the Getulio Vargas Foundation carried out at the request of CNN, shows that the sector should have a loss of approximately R$ 45 million in the period.
The current season, which started in November 2021 and runs until April 2022, was expected to move more than 360 thousand tourists, with an impact of R$ 1.7 billion on the economy, in addition to the generation of 24 thousand jobs, according to research produced in partnership between CLIA.
Reference: CNN Brasil
