As COVID-19 numbers tick up in a number of key countries for cruise ship crew recruitment, multiple cruise lines are said to be putting a recruitment hold on sourcing crew in certain locales.

While Royal Caribbean Group has already confirmed it has stopped recruiting from India due to COVID-19 numbers, the same moves and more are spreading across the industry.

“But as it stands now crew from South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and other countries are also banned,” said one crew member in an email to Cruise Industry News that asked not to be identified. “It makes no sense and it is very very difficult for people to just survive after a whole year without a salary.”

In other obtained emails from cruise line human resource executives, multiple brands have put a hold on hiring any crew from India, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and Chile, citing rising COVID-19 cases.