Ministry of Shipping issues Standard Operating Procedure to handle Coronavirus for International Cruise Ships at Major Ports of India

The following SOPs shall be in place with immediate effect for all international cruise ships, who had planned and intimated their call to Major Ports of India in advance:

1. Only those international cruise ships which had planned and intimated their call to an Indian Port not later than 1^st January, 2020 will be allowed to call on such port.
2. Any international cruise ship or any member of its crew or any passenger therein having a travel history of visiting any of the Covid-19 affected countries mentioned in the adjoining link (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports) since 1^st Feb, 2020; will not be permitted to enter any Indian port till 31^st March, 2020.
3. International cruise ships will be allowed only on the ports having thermal screening facilities for passenger and crew.
4. Shipping Agent/Master of Vessel to submit all documents related to crew and passengers regarding their travel to/from the COVID-19 affected countries. No sick passengers/crew will be allowed to board the ship by Shipping agent/Master of Vessel.
5. The updated information on COVID-19 shall be provided to each international cruise vessel and should be as per guidelines of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW), Govt. of India. (https://www.mohfw.gov.in/).
6. All passengers and crew members will have to fill the Self Reporting Form as prescribed by MoH&FW and submitted to PHO.
7. Port Health Officer (PHO) will carry out thermal screening of all the passengers and crew members on board ship.  Until clearance by PHO, passengers will not be allowed ashore.  Port / Local hospital to assist PHO by supplying additional doctors and medical staff and logistics etc.
8. If any passengers/crew show symptoms of the disease, disembarking of such  passengers/crew will not be permitted.  The passenger will be quarantined on the ship.  Samples of the patient will be collected and sent to designated hospital/lab for testing. If sample is tested positive, the passenger will be taken to the isolation facility attached to the Port and the ship will be asked to move out.  If sample is negative, the passengers and crew will be allowed shore excursion. A declaration to follow this procedure will be taken from all ships before they are allowed to enter the Port.
9. Cruise ships need to take special measures to prevent coronavirus affected patients to board the ships in the first place. Some of these steps will include:

a. Any cruise guests who have traveled through China, Hong Kong, Iran, South Korea and Italy and other affected countries ( as defined by WHO in their daily reports https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports) in the past 14 days are automatically denied boarding by the cruise lines.

b. Any person having contact with anyone within the last 14-days prior to travel who has travel history to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, South Korea, or Italy or any other affected countries is automatically denied boarding.

c. Mandatory screenings are performed of persons with influenza like illnesses (ILIs) in boarding ports terminals.

d. All guests onboard have to fill out self-declaration health forms.

e. At the check-in counter of the boarding ports, the guest’s passports are verified for any stamps from COVID-19 affected countries.

f. The passports are double checked by cruise vessel personnel inside the terminal at Boarding ports to ensure nothing is amiss

g. All passports are also checked onboard by cruise vessel staff alongside Indian Immigration Officers, wherever the Immigration Officers boarded in the previous foreign ports for enroute clearance.

h. The ship should be regularly sanitized.

i. All cruises carry out daily examination of all passengers for symptoms for COVID-19.

j. All cruises should have sufficiently oriented health staff with adequate logistics like masks, personal protection equipments etc. along with sufficient isolation beds where any crew/passenger suspects can be isolated in case of detection of any symptoms.