After the order by the NSW Police all cruise ships to leave Australian waters and return to their home ports, P&O Australia has decided its cruise ships will set sail to the Philippines and Indonesia to bring their crew members back home. The company primary focus right now is the common safety of all the crew and to get as many of the crew home as soon as possible.
Viking Cruises, one of the world’s fastest-growing luxury cruise lines announced a quite generous financial compensation for its crew amid the global coronavirus crisis. in order to ensure the Viking employees continue to receive salary for the following months, the company has presented the crew of their ocean cruise ships with the following plan which will be in effect starting April 1.
Dear Crew, whether you are at home battling through daily tasks, trying to cope with our new reality or still on board, trying to keep sane and healthy, - we are here for you.
Crew Center keeps its hand on crew-news pulse and does an admirable job at helping/supporting whoever we can.
Dear Crew Worldwide,
How are you today? We really hope you are managing as well as it is possible in these uncharted waters. We know it’s scary to find ourselves in this new reality with suspended jobs, no certainty and plenty of challenges to come. So, let’s take a few moments and explore the state of our inner world, our inner selves.
A crew member on the cruise ship Celebrity Infinity tested positive for COVID-19. The crew member disembarked the ship on March 21, and was sent to hospital in Florida for testing. As soon as his symptoms were reported he was isolated and then disembarked the ship.
Celebrity Infinity crew received the following letter on 23 March:
Celebrity Infinity crew member was recently disembarked from the cruise ship and sent to hospital for testing. As a precaution measure from the Miami Head Office starting today, all public areas will be closed for the crew and all crew activities have been suspended until further notice.
In light of the global outbreak of Covid-19 and cancelations of fleet-wide voyages, a tough decision has been made by TUI Cruises to send as many crew members as possible back home. The German cruise operator is trying to provide as much information as possible to their crewmembers, but at the same time, they are still bound by regulations, restrictions, flight options, meaning that valid statements at this time are very difficult to make.
Following all the uncertainty the cruise ship crew members are facing during these difficult times Crew Center has reached out for advice by a former crew member who is now working as a medical professional on how to keep our mental health and support each other.
