Only vessels with less than 1% Covid-19 cases allowed to berth

by Linda Straker

• A ship’s pratique is denied if over 1% outbreak of Covid-19 or any other infection on board
• Infections above 1% allow Chief Medical Officer and environmental health officers to inspect
• CARPHA assisting with respect to additional protocols for testing

Health Minister Nickolas Steele has disclosed there is a health protocol or an agreement with minimum requirements for cruise ships and all other sailing vessels to fulfil, for them to be allowed to berth at any of the harbours in the country.

“There is a protocol for cruise ships whether the cruise ship has any positive cases or not. A protocol for how we deal with cruise ships coming into Grenada,” Steele said during the first post-cabinet briefing for 2022.

Among other things, the protocol mandates that permission will only be granted to a sailing vessel if less than 1% of the passengers on board are infected with Covid-19 or other infectious diseases.

“Yes, it’s 1%…any infection above allows us through the Chief Medical Officer and the environmental health officers to do the inspection from the declaration that the ship gives. This is not just for the cruise lines but cargo vessels as well.” Steele explained that once there is more than 1% outbreak of Covid-19 or any other infection onboard, a ship’s pratique is denied.

Pratique is the permission given to a ship to enter the port on the assurance that is free of contagious diseases or at least meets the minimum standard. It provides for individuals onboard to be denied the ability to either come into port or to disembark from the ship. International Maritime law provides that guidance for pratique.

According to the protocol the minimum requirements recommended for all ships for safe cruise sailing to protect the local population and its visitors are:

1. Proof of a negative PCR, or Antigen test result taken 3 days, or no more than 72 hours, before boarding a ship (at start of the voyage) for all vaccinated passengers, except children under 5 years old
2. Full vaccination of all Crew Members (no less than 98%)
3. Full vaccination of all Passengers (no less than 95%)
4. Recommended vaccination for passengers 12 years and over
5. All passengers must provide proof of vaccination upon disembarkation in Grenada to local authorities. This is an entry requirement for all non-nationals visiting Grenada
6. Accurate reporting of all symptoms through the Maritime Declaration of Health form to the relevant team, which includes Port Health Officer (PHO), Chief Environmental Health Officer (CEHO), Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
7. Immediate reporting of any positive cases of Covid-19
8. Demonstrated capacity on ship to isolate, quarantine, and test for Covid-19
9. Ship capacity to range between 60-90% maximum, to promote social distancing
10. Implement public health measures on ship: hand sanitisation, mask-wearing, social distancing
11. Provide detailed shore leave protocols
12. Provide detailed homeporting protocols

Steele said that Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is also assisting with respect to additional protocols for testing. “On the level of testing or frequency of testing for persons coming on board the vessels as well as for persons disembarking the vessel at any of the ports, there are variations throughout Caricom on the level of testing and that does bother us significantly, but we hold hard and fast to that 1% as well and those declarations,” he said.

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