Viking cruise line has installed the first COVID-19 testing facility on board its Viking Star. The Switzerland-based line will have the capability to provide daily, full-scale PCR testing for all its passengers and crew members.
According to Fox News, the cruise line has been working on the project for months. In a press release, Matt Grimes, vice president of maritime operations for Viking, said that the testing facility at sea “moves us one step closer to operating cruises again, without compromising the safety of our guests and crew. In our view, continuous PCR testing, along with extensive onboard hygiene protocols, will lead to making Viking ships a safe place to get away to and explore the world.”
The 930-guest ocean-going Viking star will preview its new facilities in mid-November, according to Fox, prior to its next scheduled voyage January 9. Viking, along with many other cruise lines, has suspended all its operations until next January. In a press release dated Tuesday, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents 95% of the world’s ocean cruise lines, announced that its members have agreed to extend a voluntary suspension of operations in the U.S. through Dec. 31, 2020.
Cruise ships have been at the epicenter of the pandemic nightmare with passengers and crews trapped aboard quarantined vessels for weeks, forcing global suspension of the $150 billion industry. According to CNN Travel, cruise lines have lost thousands of jobs and billions of dollars since the pandemic forced them aground. “We know that for every 1% drop in cruising that occurs worldwide, up to 9,100 jobs can be lost,” Bari Golin-Blaugrund, a spokesperson for CLIA, told CNN.
Lynn C. Allison ✉
Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.