Scotland U-turns on cruise re-start
Hollyrood Asembly makes last-minute decision to delay cruise re-start and keeps ports closed to liners.
Just a day before UK domestic cruises were set to re-start, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has decided to delay opening Scotland’s ports to cruise vessels because of fears over coronavirus. The cruise ship MSC Virtuosa had been scheduled to dock in Greenock today, but will now have to change her itinerary.
Briefing the Scottish Parliament, Ms. Sturgeon said that although progress had been made in the fight against Coronavirus, the situation was “still fragile”. She added that “while all of these signs are very positive, there is a need for continued caution.”
Referring to the MSC Virtuosa, which has already set sail, Joanne Dooey, president of The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA) said:
“We’re now facing the situation where Scottish passengers who joined the cruise in Liverpool are barred from setting foot in their own country.
“The Scottish Government has effectively closed the country’s borders to anything other than road travel. The irony is that any of these passengers can get in a car and drive from Southampton to Inverclyde with no testing, border control, or vaccinations.”
