The British have been urged today to avoid cruise ship travel due to the corona virus, despite general advice against canceling all non-essential foreign voyages.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) today issued a statement advising vacationers not to board cruise ships, fearing the spread of Covid-19.

The government had previously urged the 1970s to avoid sailings.

It’s also because the government’s general advice against all nonessential foreign trips on Saturday was lifted for dozens of destinations.

The FCO says the new position comes on the advice of Public Health England.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) today released a statement advising people not to board cruise ships, fearing the spread of Covid-19. Pictured: The world’s largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, in Malaga, Spain, 2018

It pledged to “continue to review its position” and insisted that it “continue to support the work of the Ministry of Transport with industry to resume international cruise shipping”.

How Cruises Change After Covid: End of the Traditional Buffet, Fewer Coastal Visits, and Temperature Controls By Rita Sobot and Tom Pyman for the Daily Mail Major cruise lines are dropping self-service buffets, while onboard entertainment can also be cut short as part of a series of changes in voyages after the corona virus crisis. Guests and crew may also need to be tested for the virus or at least go through infrared checks in some cases so that their temperature can be measured to reduce the risk of infection spreading. Other measures include limiting the number of passengers and staggering boarding and alighting to ensure fewer people at the terminals and gangways. Hand disinfectants are placed everywhere on the ships, germicidal air filters are installed and the occupation of lifts is limited. At least one cruise ship has had to reduce hospitality by cutting plans for the traditional welcome with a free buffet, while others say that only staff should serve food and never the passenger. Prime locations like Spain are currently still banning cruise ships entering ports, and the government says this will continue until “the end of the coronavirus crisis,” with no firm date.

Due to the travel advice, many holidaymakers with future bookings run the risk of canceling their trips.

Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel said, “The FCO’s advice against cruise ship travel will result in most upcoming cruises being canceled or postponed.

“Most cruise vacation customers should be legally entitled to a cash refund within 14 days under package travel rules, but as we’ve seen recently in the travel industry, operators often take longer to get money back to get their money back.” to them.

If the refund is delayed, cruise lines must urgently notify customers and provide a clear timetable for when money will be refunded.

“The FCO should also extend its warning with a definite date to provide operators and customers with clarity when it is safe to rebook.”

In March, the FCO advised British people aged 70 and older and those with some underlying health problems to avoid cruise ships.

The UK’s largest cruise line, P&O Cruises, has suspended all sailings until mid-October.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line, the third largest cruise line in the world, which regularly departs from Southampton, said: “Our top priority remains the safety, security and wellbeing of our guests, team members and everyone in the communities we visit.

As such, we are actively working to improve our already stringent health and safety protocols and continue to consult with global public health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to take action if necessary.

In addition, this week we announced the ‘Healthy Sail Panel’, which consists of experts who work together to develop recommendations that will help us resume operations safely.

Despite today’s news, we remain optimistic and hope to restart cruise operations in the near future. We look forward to welcoming our guests back on board soon. ‘