Carnival Corp. brands bring masks back in Australia

All Carnival Corporation-brand ships sailing in Australia and the surrounding area have reinstated mask mandates amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region.

The change applies to "all Carnival Corporation brand ships operating in Australia and the region as an additional safeguard in light of the current rate of COVID-19 in the general community," Carnival Australia wrote in a statement to media on Friday (Nov. 18), as reported by USA Today.

The brands include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line.

Under the restored regulations, passengers and crew members must wear masks at all times inside unless they are eating or drinking.

They must wear masks outside when they cannot socially distance and "when on company transfers (tenders and buses)," Carnival Australia said.

Passengers must also wear masks when embarking and disembarking.

Guests over the age of 12 must also be fully vaccinated for sailings in the Australian area, though the company allows for a small number of medical exemptions.

All passengers also need to take a COVID-19 test prior to boarding their ship.

The mask mandate was reinstated after the Majestic Princess, returning from New Zealand carrying roughly 4,000 people, arrived in Sydney last weekend with at least 800 passengers testing positive for the virus.

The mask mandate, which once applied to all cruise ships at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, was reactivated “out of an abundance of caution,” Carnival wrote on its website, and will stay active “for the time being.”

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