Mediterranean cruise sails after five-month pause
The first major cruise liner to create sail in the Mediterranean in almost five months has left from the Italian city of Genoa.
The MSC Grandiosa will minimize at three Italian ports and the Maltese capital Valletta in a seven-day voyage.
Operator MSC Cruises, say all passengers and crew have been tested for coronavirus before boarding.
It comes as virus cases continue steadily to rise around Italy, with more than 600 reported by authorities yesterday.
In response, Italian authorities have ordered the closure of most dance halls and night clubs from Monday. Face masks will also be mandatory from 18:00 to 06:00 local amount of time in public spaces where social distancing isn't possible.
MSC Cruises said it will be operating the MSC Grandiosa at around 70% of its normal operations, with approximately 2,500 passengers onboard, to make sure safety protocols.
Its launch sometimes appears as an initial step towards rebooting a business that generates around $150bn (£114bn) for the world economy, in line with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
For Italy, badly hit by coronavirus, it really is particularly important. It ranks seventh among the cruise liner operating nations, carrying more than 800,000 passengers in 2018.
The other day Italy's government gave permission for cruise lines to resume procedures in the united states from 15 August.
MSC Cruises, which operates the MSC Grandiosa, will launch another cruise from the Italian port of Bari on 29 August, but has otherwise suspended its Mediterranean cruises until mid-October.
The international cruise industry has taken huge financial losses as a result of pandemic. Several carriers are also criticised for leaving a large number of passengers stranded aboard ships in Asia and the US in the first months of the pandemic. By 11 June, 3,047 people were infected and 73 died while aboard 48 cruise ships associated with CLIA, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The business said its new security protocols - including daily temperature checks for those onboard - exceed national and industry standards. However the sailing of MSC Grandiosa represents an integral test for the industry amid lingering concerns over passenger safety.
At the end of July, a tiny Norwegian operator, Hurtigruten, was forced to suspend its newly restarted service after dozens of passengers and crew tested positive for coronavirus.
