Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

• Circular Letter No.4204/Add.5 (17 March 2020) Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Guidance relating to the certification of seafarers
• Circular Letter No.4204/Add.4 (5 March 2020) contains ICS Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for ship operators for the protection of the health of seafarers
• Circular Letter No.4204/Add.3 (2 March 2020) — Operational considerations for managing COVID-19 cases/outbreak on board ships.
• Circular Letter No.4204/Add.2 (21 February 2020) contains the Joint Statement IMO-WHO on the Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak and encourages Member States and international organizations to disseminate it as widely as possible.
• Circular Letter No.4204/Add.1  (19 February 2020) provides advice on Implementation and enforcement of relevant IMO instruments.
• Circular Letter No.4203.Add.1 (12 February 2020) provides information and guidance, based on recommendations developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Division of Healthcare Management and Occupational Safety and Health (DHMOSH), United Nations, on the precautions to be taken to minimize risks to delegates attending meetings at IMO.
• Circular Letter No.4204 (31 January 2020) providing  information and guidance, based on recommendations developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the precautions to be taken to minimize risks to seafarers, passengers and others on board ships from the coronavirus. Member States are advised to urge all stakeholders (companies, managers, crewing agents, etc.) to promulgate information to ensure that seafarers, passengers and others on board ships are provided with accurate and relevant information on the coronavirus outbreak and on the measures to reduce the risk of exposure if they are likely to be engaged on ships trading to and from ports in coronavirus-affected States.

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Additional advice: 

The following links also provide advice to seafarers and shipping (non-exhaustive list):

Updates on meetings

• Circular Letter No.4213/Add.1 (12 March 2020) Postponement of the thirty-third meeting of the Editorial & Technical Group (IMSBC), the seventh meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships and the seventy-fifth session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee due to the COVID-19 outbreak
• Circular Letter No.4213 (6 March 2020) Postponement of the joint session of the LC/LP Scientific Groups and the 107th session of the Legal Committee due to the COVID-19 outbreak

• Circular Letter No.4220 (12 March 2020) Update on the status of the International Maritime Organization Headquarters building and its closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak