Health authorities in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, prevented the disembarkation of passengers from the Navigator of the Seas cruise ship after the cruise company would not provide PCR COVID tests to passengers.
There were nine known cases of COVID-19 on the ship, and representatives of the Jalisco Health Secretariat requested PCR tests to be carried out on any passengers who wanted to disembark in Puerto Vallarta, at that time, the cruise company decided to leave the port.
This is the third cruise ship that has been denied in Puerto Vallarta due to cruise companies refusing to provide negative PCR tests for all passengers on ships with known COVID-19 infections.
On December 23, the cruise ship Koningsdam docked in the port, under the same conditions, and on December 27, the Carnival Panorama docked with 69 infected.
The Jalisco Health Secretariat and the Board of Health report in a statement that the disembarkation of people traveling aboard cruise ships that visit Puerto Vallarta has not been denied, nor will the disembarkation be denied, as long as the requirement to present proof of negative COVID-19 tests due to the high risk of transmission of contagions posed by active outbreaks of COVID-19 for the community and for the travelers and crew members themselves.
This preventive measure is attached to international health standards, regulations, and protocols. In the specific case, the three vessels described reported an active outbreak, upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta, they were classified as a yellow traffic light, that is, a high risk of contagion.
The SSJ will have a dialogue with businessmen and service providers of Puerto Vallarta, among those who have expressed their disagreement over the impact on their activities, in order to reach agreements that allow them to continue to adequately face the COVID-19 pandemic.
While cruise ship passengers are required to present a negative COVID-19 test to disembark, air passengers, the overwhelming majority of tourists arriving in Puerto Vallarta, are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination.
