MALAGA – After almost a year of absence, cruise ships will again dock in the port of Málaga in June. This has been confirmed by Carlos Rubio, the president of the port authority. Approval has been received from the regional government for the security protocol.
Currently, and due to the exceptional circumstances caused by Covid, cruises will have to operate national routes only. In addition to other safety measures such as keeping a distance between passengers, wearing mouth masks, a special cleaning protocol, ships will have a limited capacity, writes the newspaper Sur.
The Andalucian Security Plan
Rubio emphasises that “Andalucia is a pioneer in Spain in developing a protocol that guarantees the safety of and on cruise ships”. In normal years, this sector brought more than 500,000 tourists to the southern Spanish city. “The adoption of the Andalucian Security Plan is a starting shot that ports in other Autonomous Communities can also get to work,” added Rubio.
Hygiene Measures for cruise ships
The comprehensive health plan includes measures not only for passengers and crew on board, but also prior to boarding. There are configuration and hygiene measures on the ship itself and measures for each individual activity.
Only the Canary Islands already approved their own security protocol last November. The Islands also had approval from the central government in Madrid. Since then, cruises have been operating on closed routes around the islands. The archipelago is one of the few destinations to do so during the pandemic.
