One of the most iconic cruise ships in the world has canceled calls to Hong Kong due to the deadly Coronavirus which is having an impact on the cruise industry too.
Cunard Line’s Response to Coronavirus
The British-based cruise line which is well known for the iconic Queen Mary 2 has canceled calls to Hong Kong due to concerns of the deadly Coronavirus. The vessel will no longer be calling at the city on February 18/19 and will replace it with a call in Singapore.
The cruise line is also monitoring how the Coronavirus develops and impacts the industry and will make further amendments to calls in Shanghai and Hong Kong is needed. The vessel was the largest in the world when she entered service in 2003 at 150,000 gross tons. She has a guest capacity of 2,691 at double occupancy along with 1,292 crew members.
Cunard Line stated included the following in a released statement:
We also continue to manage the health implications and, although the risk of coronavirus for our guests and crew is very low, we are closely monitoring the situation. Our medical experts are coordinating closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to implement control measures for our ships.
As part of these measures guests and crew who have visited mainland China (including Hubei Province) within the last 14 days will not be permitted to board our ships.
Also pre-boarding screening will be conducted for all guests, crew and visitors in all embarkation ports with further medical evaluation if necessary. All guests and crew who visit our on board Medical Centre with symptoms of any respiratory illness will be risk assessed for coronavirus and action taken as necessary.
Additional proactive environmental disinfection routines will be performed on board in accordance with our regular stringent cleaning and sanitation protocols.
Also as stated, Cunard is increasing screenings before embarkation for all guests and crew. Further medical checks can be made if needed and ships are being sanitized as a precaution. In line with the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), the cruise line will deny any guests who have traveled to mainland China within the past 14 days.
Also Read: Royal Caribbean Cancels China Sailings Due to Coronavirus
This comes as Princess Cruises and Dream Cruises have cruise ships that are under quarantine and on Diamond Princess in Japan 9 passengers and 1 crew member have been infected with the virus. You can read more about that right here.
The Coronavirus currently has infected over 24,000 people mainly in China but also a growing amount around the world. The virus has killed almost 500 and continues to spread. Cruise Hive will keep readers updated on any new developments impacting the cruise industry.
