Viking Cruises has announced that it has installed the first ever Covid-19 testing laboratory on a cruise ship.
The cruise line has unveiled a PCR laboratory onboard cruise ship Viking Star, which it says will allow for "unprecedented testing capacity in the cruise industry".
The lab will allow both passengers and guests to be tested for Covid-19 through a non-invasive saliva test. Viking says that the lab has enough capacity for daily testing of every crew member and guest on board the 930-passenger vessel.
The idea is that it will also allow the cruise line some flexibility when responding to Covid-19 levels around the world.
The laboratory is set to be unveiled when Viking Star sails to Oslo, Norway, in mid-November.
Currently, the cruise line is carrying out a series of trials to "ensure the procedures and protocols that have been designed are fully effective".
Matt Grimes, Vice President of Maritime Operations for Viking, said: "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 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."
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the cruise industry with cruise lines around the world forced to cancel sailings or temporarily suspend operations due to ongoing travel restrictions. Viking Cruises itself has temporarily suspended all of its scheduled cruises until 2021.
You can find out more on viking.com.
At the time of writing, the FCDO advises Brits against cruise travel on 'sea-going' ships. You can check the latest cruise travel advice for more information.
