Cruise ship tourists will not be allowed to disembark if vessels arrive at the British Columbia ports this summer, the province's health officials announced. However, it is still unclear if the federal government will decide to resume the cruise season on July 1.
On March 13, 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Transport Canada announced (as a safety measure to stop the COVID outbreak that the cruise season (which normally starts in early-April) would be delayed until July.
There have also been questions over whether coastal port cities in BC Canada - including Prince Rupert (Kaien Island), Vancouver and Victoria - could see the arrival of international cruise lines this summer but according to Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, that would not be the case.
She said the province had made its position clear about the possible resumption of cruise ship calls. Henry added she had spoken to health officials in Alaska, Washington, and Yukon who felt similarly concerned about cruise liners which had seen some of the worst coronavirus outbreaks.
She explained that federal government rules requiring people to self-isolate for 2 weeks after international travel would apply to cruise passengers, so if a cruise ship had somehow planned to come there, then they would "not be allowing people to come off the cruise ship for example."
According to Tourism Vancouver, cruising season 2019 generated USD 840 million with 280+ ship calls at Port Vancouver. Port Vancouver said on its website:
"We will continue to be in discussions with our cruise line partners over the next few months, as we actively monitor the Canadian and international response to this extraordinary circumstance."