Covid-19 testing at sea

Viking Cruises has announced that it has completed installation of the first full-scale PCR laboratory at sea.

It assumes that crew members and guests are tested before boarding.

The new facility – an industry first – allows for unprecedented testing capacity in the cruise industry, enabling Viking to conduct PCR testing of all on board with a non-invasive saliva test.

This first laboratory has been installed on Viking Star, a 930-guest ship.  It will undergo a series of extensive tests to ensure the procedures and protocols that have been designed are fully effective.

“We have been working on this for a number of months, and today is important as it moves us one step closer to operating cruises again, without compromising the safety of our guests and crew. The recently announced CDC guidelines (see BTN 2 November) are clearly aligned with our public health research, and we welcome the agency’s push toward testing, as we believe this is the only way to safely operate. In our view, continuous PCR testing, along with our extensive onboard hygiene protocols, will lead to making Viking ships a safe place to get away to and explore the world,” said Matt Grimes, Vice President of Maritime Operations for Viking.

Viking will be demonstrating the PCR laboratory, as well as new design and operating procedures, when the Viking Star visits Oslo (Norway) in mid-November.

www.vikingrivercruises.com

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James Steward, Southampton

Quite right. It’s daft testing once on board. What happens if a person is proved to be a carrier? Does the whole ship go into quarantine? It needs to be done in the terminal.