The Port of Barcelona plans to restart cruise ship activity in June. The president of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Concesa, confirmed in an interview with the television channel 3/24 that the port authority is working with government agencies and shipping companies to develop enhanced health protocols to guarantee the health and safety of both cruise passengers and the communities they visit. These protocols, which must be approved by international health authorities, are necessary for the port to resume receiving cruise ships starting at the end of June. The Port, she explained, is collaborating with the Catalan Health Department on protocols that will include PCR testing, as well as "bubble groups" for visits to the city, among other measures.
The Port of Barcelona intends to conduct pilot tests beforehand with two cruise lines that regularly operate from the port facilities, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises, which assure that they are in a position to resume their operations in the Port of Barcelona guaranteeing the health and safety of passengers, crew and community, as soon as Barcelona authorizes it.
Barcelona City Council and the hospitality sector support the reactivation of cruise ships this summer. Both the hotel and restaurant sectors, which are currently experiencing minimal occupancy and many closed establishments, are eager to welcome cruise passengers beginning their cruises in Barcelona.
The First Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Jaume Collboni, has assured that the protocols will be implemented in coordination with health authorities, expressing his support for the reactivation of the city's economic, cultural, leisure, and social activities. Collboni commented: “The Catalan capital must find ways to safely reactivate economic activity as vaccination of the most vulnerable citizens progresses”; and added: “We cannot wait until everyone is vaccinated, otherwise it would be an economic and social catastrophe.”
