The Banality of the Sea. Borders, Quarantine and Cruise Ships in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

Defining migration means drawing a line between States and agreeing that that is the border that has been crossed: whether by migrants, asylum seekers, tourists, vagabonds or travelers. As it is defined by Alessandro Leogrande (2015), the border is therefore «a line made up of infinite points, infinite knots, infinite crossings. Each point a story, each knot a handful of existences. Each crossing is a crack that opens». This contribution aims to explore those cracks, entering their deepest depth. The scene of this analysis will be one of the most spectacular, and at the same time frightening, frontiers of recent years: the Mediterranean Sea. What does it mean to cross borders at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic? On the one hand, tourists, perceived as a source of economic support and income, have crossed borders and carried out fiduciary quarantines. On the other hand, quarantine ships were created to deal with the health emergency, isolating migrants who arrived in Italy by the Mediterranean Sea. The paradox between migrants and tourists takes place precisely in the Mediterranean Sea, where migrants carried out compulsory quarantine in cruise ships once destined for the luster and delight of tourists. Starting from the professional and personal experience of the researcher on quarantine ships, this contribution is positioned off the port of Augusta (Sicily), investigating the migrant-tourist dichotomy during COVID-19.