Viking, so far the only cruise line with onboard Covid testing labs on all its ocean ships, is extending that to its new expedition ships arriving next year.
Viking’s current procedure supplies passengers each evening with a test tube, with instructions to spit into it in the morning, before coffee or toothpaste. The tubes are collected by stewards and results returned in about four hours. A positive test triggers a second, swab-based test.
If the positive is confirmed, the passenger is isolated and taken off the ship; Viking has arrangements with local authorities in all its ports. Passengers are all equipped with a small contact tracing device, which allows the line to identify anyone who may have had more than a few minutes contact.
While the cruise line says it will cover the costs of any required quarantine for passengers taken off, it does recommend that all cruise passengers buy travel insurance that covers Covid care.
Viking CEO Thorstein Hagen says the system, which is costing Viking as much this year for testing as for fuel, is key to being able to operate safely and to not cancel its long-itinerary world cruises and others.
Viking’s river boats, with much smaller numbers of passengers, do not carry their own labs; because they are always close to shore and can use land-based labs.
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