Cruise Lines Set New Policies to Address Growing Coronavirus Concerns

Multiple cruise lines are continuously struggling to overcome the challenges provided by the global novel coronavirus epidemic, says an article from USA Today.

Various cruise lines had implemented many travel advice and screening procedures due to the new coronavirus scare. The screening procedures include temperature checks.

These procedures are under the guidelines provided by the World Health Organization, Cruise Lines International Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here are a few protocols some cruise lines are currently implementing due to the coronavirus epidemic:

Royal Caribbean

The Royal Caribbean will conduct mandatory and a specialized form of health screening for its passengers. The persons who will receive such type of screening are those who reveal they are showing flu-like symptoms. Also, passengers who traveled to Thailand and/or Japan in the past 15 days will be subject to specialized and mandatory health screening. Additionally, passengers who are not sure if they had been in contact with people who traveled to Italy, Japan, Thailand, Iran, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China will undergo health screening.

Furthermore, all of the guests of the cruise line will get their temperatures checked. Guests with a low pulse and a fever will not be allowed to board the ship. All of the guests who will not be allowed to board the ship will receive a full refund.

Celebrity Cruises

The celebrity cruises will be screening every passenger and crew member. It will check all of their temperatures with a non-touch digital scanner device on embarkation day before they board the ships of the cruise line.

Those people with temperatures of more than 38 degrees Celsius or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will be subjected to a second-stage health screening. These people will be joined by their companions in the travel.

The guests who will not be allowed to board will be given a full refund. The refund will be in the form of a cruise credit.

Carnival Cruise Line

The Carnival Cruise Line will not allow guests to board their ships if they have travel histories from South Korea, Iran, Macau, Hong Kong, mainland China, and other locations under isolation by government health officials in the last 14 days.

Guests who had contact with a suspected coronavirus victim will not be allowed to board any of their ships.

Furthermore, guests who traveled to Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and Italy's Veneto and Lombardy regions in the past two weeks before embarkation will be required to undergo medical screening. The medical screening will also include temperature checks. These guests will also be required to present travel documentation.

Oceania Cruises

Recently, Oceania Cruises released an announcement about its new 'Travel Assurance' booking rules. This policy takes effect immediately for new and existing bookings made by April 30. These bookings include trips that depart from March 10 to September 30.

Guests can cancel their bookings with the cruise line within 48 hours before the ship departs. The guests who cancel their bookings will receive a full refund. The refund will be in the form of a future cruise credit.