Queen Elizabeth cruises delayed after covid cases on board
Cunard has announced that several UK based cruises due to depart from Southampton have been cancelled.
The announcement comes after the company confirmed a number of on board crew had tested positive for Covid.
The liner had been moored off Weymouth and docked in Southampton this week.
It had been due to depart from Southampton for the first of a series of UK staycation cruises on July the 19th.
Cunard's president Simon Palethorpe has now released a statement confirming that the date has been pushed back to August 13.
"Since March 2020 the priority has been to work with public health, medical and scientific experts as well as industry bodies and various Government departments to put in place an approved framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of our crew, guests and the communities we visit, both during our pause in operations and once we begin sailing.
"These protocols, of which we are very proud, have proven to be very effective and we had no cases of Covid-19 in over 5,000 crew members until last month when a small number of cases were identified amongst new crew boarding the ship.
"Working in conjunction with Southampton Port Health we took immediate steps to successfully contain the situation and we have limited the number of new crew joining the ship. This has meant, however, that we are not able to complete the final essential preparations or deliver the comprehensive training schedule to the full required contingent of crew prior to the first scheduled sailing.
"We know how much everyone has been looking forward to these coastal holidays but after such a long period it is critical that all our crew are trained in the new procedures and refreshed in the very special White Star service which makes a Cunard voyage so memorable.
"We apologise to those guests whose voyages have been disrupted with this four week delay and we very much look forward to welcoming guests back on board from August 13 as Queen Elizabeth sails from Southampton on a seven night cruise showcasing the highlights of Britain's coastline."
Simon Palethorpe, Cunard President
All guests on the cancelled sailings will be offered a full refund or the chance to rebook on a future cruise.
The Queen Elizabeth is one of three Cunard ships based in Southampton. The Queen Mary 2 is not scheduled to return to service on the transatlantic New York route until the autumn. The Queen Victoria is not scheduled to resume passenger sailings until 2022.
Several other cruise operators are launching trips in UK waters from Southampton over the summer until Covid travel restrictions are eased.