UK approves international cruises
The Telegraph reports that international cruises have been given the go-ahead by the UK Government for the first time in more than a year as part of a major reopening of Britain’s borders.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, announced on Wednesday that curbs on international cruises would be lifted from Monday so that holidaymakers could visit foreign destinations under the terms of the traffic lights system for travel – set to be overhauled next week. This means that fully jabbed travellers will be able to dock at amber countries without having to quarantine on their return.
Only domestic cruises around the UK coast have been permitted since May 17 this year, following the effective shutdown of the industry in March last year after a series of incidents in which the Foreign Office was forced to repatriate some 19,000 Britons quarantined on 60 cruise ships hit by Covid-19 outbreaks around the world.
The re-start follows an agreement between the Government and cruise operators that they will take the lead in repatriating passengers – and reimburse the Foreign Office for any costs that it might incur in any such operation. Cruise liners have also introduced new Covid-secure measures to protect passengers, including some companies that are offering trips for only fully vaccinated travellers.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) estimated the continued shutdown of the industry has been costing 2,500 jobs a day, with a worldwide loss of £36 billion and 334,000 jobs since last March.
The restart has been made possible by the Foreign Office removing its advice against cruise ship travel. But it has issued a detailed checklist of advice for potential passengers. It remains to be seen what stance the Regional Government in Madeira takes, but they are quite likely to welcome them with open arms provided security measures are in place.
A new tab has been added to the top of each page with a link to resources dealing with COVID-19 in Madeira – this covers the latest government regulations on travel to the island, how to get a PCR test, and many other links that will be useful to people wanting to travel to and from Madeira
COVID-19 in Madeira: daily updates can be found in an earlier post
Vaccinations in Madeira: updates can be found in an earlier post
It means a lot to the Madeiran economy.
The port website still shows the first cruise ship due in Funchal on 26th Sept — The Adventure of the Seas.