Advice for the cruise industry

On this page

1. Testing
2. People who are unwell or test positive to COVID-19 or influenza (flu)
3. Reporting
4. Safety policies and procedures
5. Downloadable files

Testing

Throughout the voyage, crew and passengers should monitor carefully for:

• cold or flu symptoms, such as runny nose, sore throat, cough or fever
• gastro symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or fever.

Anyone who develops cold or flu symptoms should be tested for COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses as soon as possible.

People who are unwell or test positive to COVID-19 or influenza (flu)

Cruise operators should advise people who test positive to COVID-19 or flu or have acute respiratory or gastroenteritis (gastro) symptoms that they may infect others.

They should be advised to:

• stay in their cabin until they are well
• practice good hand hygiene
• wear a mask and avoid crowded spaces if they must leave their cabin.

Cruise operators should also provide relevant NSW Health advice on COVID-19, flu, respiratory viruses and gastro.

Reporting

All domestic and international cruise vessels travelling to a NSW port should follow the AHPC national approach to cruise ship reporting.

Vessels should:

• maintain an accurate manifest that includes personal contact details (such as email addresses and phone numbers) for all passengers and disembarking crew
• provide this information within 4 hours to NSW Health (send to NSWH-MaritimeResponse@health.nsw.gov.au) when requested
• retain this information for a minimum of 30 days.

All domestic and international cruise voyages terminating in NSW should report any gastro, COVID-19, flu or other acute respiratory infections to NSW Health.

Cruise operators must submit the Cruise Vessel Routine Reporting Table (XLSX 27.87KB) to NSWH-MaritimeResponse@health.nsw.gov.au:

• 12 to 24 hours before the end of a voyage
• when the vessel reaches Level 2 activity (refer to Table 1)
• when entering NSW waters after reporting Level 2 activity in a previous jurisdiction and maintaining that level on entering NSW.

Vessels arriving in NSW from an international port must also complete the required Australian Government documentation within the indicated timeframes.

Table 1 – Outbreak thresholds for reporting purposes

All reporting times are in Australian Eastern Daylight-saving Time (AEDT). These are in addition to mandatory reporting through the Biosecurity Act 2015.

1. This percentage refers to the cumulative attack rate over the voyage duration of passengers and/or crew with any of COVID-19, influenza, acute respiratory infection (ARI) or acute gastroenteritis (AGE) individually, out of the total people on board the vessel.
2. Acute respiratory symptoms (such as runny nose, sore throat, or cough, with or without other symptoms) irrespective of test result. This will include people who have tested positive to a respiratory virus like influenza or COVID-19, people who have had a negative test, and people who have not been tested.​
   

After receiving the Cruise Vessel Reporting Table, NSW Health may contact the shipping agent, master of the vessel, or ship’s doctor. NSW Health may also request additional case reporting through the Expanded cruise vessel reporting template for acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infection (XLSX 1.19MB) or the vessel’s SeaCare reporting system if available.

NSW Health may recommend additional measures to reduce risk, beyond those already put in place by the vessel. This will depend on the outbreak situation on board and whether any new or emerging public health or clinical risks have been identified.

Cruise operators should also contact NSW Health (NSWH-MaritimeResponse@health.nsw.gov.au) if they have concerns about communicable diseases, such as outbreaks of illness with an unknown cause, high numbers of severe cases requiring medical evacuation, or illness affecting vessel operations due to crew shortages. Operators can contact NSW Health even if the reporting criteria above have not been met.

Safety policies and procedures

Cruise vessel safety policies and procedures should cover all aspects of the passenger and crew experience.

Policies and procedures should include:

• encouraging passengers and crew to stay up-to-date with influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations in line with Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommendations
• providing access to testing for infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and flu, for passengers and crew
• isolating crew and passengers with infectious diseases while on board
  
• provding a​ccess to COVID-19 and influenza antivirals for passengers and crew with symptomatic infection in accordance with therapeutic guidelines ​
  
• managing embarkation, disembarkation and shore excursions to reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission
• keeping accurate records of passengers and crew with symptoms, including any infectious organisms that have been identified.

Downloadable files

• Cruise vessel routine reporting​ table (Excel template) (XLSX 27.87KB) – To be used for routine reporting of acute respiratory or gastrointestinal illness onboard a vessel.
• Expanded cruise vessel reporting template for acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infection (XLSX 1.19MB) – Full line list to be completed at the direction of NSW Health.