That Windstar Cruises had to cancel two Star Breeze weekly cruises (see related story) spells bad news for St. Maarten, which will consequently miss lucrative homeporting visits on June 26 and July 3. The ship stayed anchored offshore or at sea because too many crew members were not vaccinated against COVID-19.
It will soon head for Puerto Rico to ensure all 177 are fully inoculated with Johnson & Johnson vaccines being sent there. The expectation is for normal operations to resume on July 10.
Apparently, they had been unable to source enough vaccines in the Caribbean before, which certainly leaves questions also about testing requirements. On the other hand, this kind of thing can happen and at least it came to light soon after departure.
The incident should certainly serve as reminder for all involved that strictly enforcing and complying with coronavirus-related protocols is paramount to a successful restart of the industry. Doing so obviously remains paramount to the safety and wellbeing of destinations as well, especially now that sailings out of the US, including Florida, are again allowed.
With the tourism economy finally showing signs of recovery, now is not the time for people to become complacent and let their guard down, particularly in the hospitality sector. Until the island has truly overcome the current crisis, it will continue to truly need “all hands on deck” in that regard.
