Sir Richard Branson's cruise line Virgin Voyages has dumped rules that state passengers must have proof of a negative Covid test ahead of departure. It confirmed it was easing the strict regulation after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed Covid-19 advice earlier this week.
Virgin Voyages will axe pre-boarding testing for trips from July 24 on European voyages and from July 27 on US sailings. In addition, 10 per cent of passengers on the ships need not be fully vaccinated.
However, crew of all Virgin Voyages vessels will continue to be fully vaccinated, the line said. Virgin Voyages cruise ships Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady are currently featured on weekly Channel 5 show The Cruise.
The cruise line said: “Passenger and crew well-being is the main focus and they continue to follow the advice of their expert medical team. We want our sailors to be reassured that we have the strongest protocols in place to keep our sailors and crew well — including vaccine requirements, special air filtration, reduced capacity, and rigorous cleaning.
"We’ve also started administering booster shots for all eligible crew and encourage all our sailors to get a booster as well, although this is not needed to sail for now."
The CDC said “new guidance” for cruise ships to mitigate and manage Covid-19 transmissions will be available “in the coming days”.
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