Cruise getaways are back on! No10 gives green light for voyages to restart from August (if Covid hasn’t put you off them!)
- Sources said passengers would be able to take cruises that start or end abroad
- Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said they could restart from August 2
- Industry leaders heralded today’s announcement as ‘very good news’ for cruises
Cruise getaways are back on the cards, ministers revealed today in a boost for hopes of a foreign holiday this year.
From August 2 passengers will be allowed to board ships sailing to or from ports outside the UK.
It is recommended all travellers are double-vaccinated, and most cruise operators will not allow people to enter their vessel unless they have got both doses.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said they had decided to lift restrictions on the ships following trial cruises around the UK. He added the decision was based on ‘epidemiological evidence’.
Industry leaders heralded the announcement as ‘very good news’ and said they looked forward to welcoming tourists back on board ships travelling abroad.
The change will apply to passengers living in England. It is not clear whether those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will also see measures dropped.
It comes as ministers today confirmed plans to drop quarantine requirements for double-jabbed travellers from the EU and US who arrive in England.
The cruise industry has been rocked by the pandemic after outbreaks on ships left thousands of passengers stranded for weeks and blocked from disembarking.
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