The German shipping company Aida has to cancel the cruise of the “Aidanova” due to numerous corona cases among the crew in the port of Lisbon. The passengers, who mainly come from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, are to be flown out on Monday.

The Aidanova had already been stuck in the port of Lisbon for three days and now the shipping company is pulling the plug from this voyage. The cruise is canceled and the passengers go home by plane. Among other things, the company announced: Due to the current situation, we cannot continue the trip with Aida Nova to the Canary Islands as planned until January 5th, 2022 ”.

Despite intensive efforts, it would not have been possible to find replacement crew members. The shipping company therefore decided to cancel the cruise “in the interests of the safety and health of the crew and passengers”. Before leaving, passengers could take part in shore excursions.

In the days before it was not going well, because the originally planned stop in front of Madeira to watch the fireworks was canceled. The Aidanova remained in the port of Lisbon for three days. According to local media reports citing the port director of Lisbon, 52 of the 1.353 crew members are said to have tested positive for the corona virus. There are also 2.844 passengers on board. According to official information, there should be no positive testing among the passengers.

The shipping company Aida stated that all passengers and crew members must provide proof of full vaccination before embarking. Furthermore, a negative PCR test would have to be submitted. Additional rapid antigen tests were performed on site. Children up to the age of 12 were exempt from the compulsory vaccination.

From a purely legal point of view, it would not have been necessary to break off the cruise, because the Portuguese shipping authority gave the Aidanova permission to sail with a reduced crew. Ultimately, the shipping company did not take advantage of this option. This decided to demolish and fly the passengers.