MSC Cruises Resumes Med Sailings January 24

After the forced suspension of operation over the holidays, starting on January 24 MSC Grandiosa will resume her scheduled weekly cruises in the Western Mediterranean departing from Genoa, Italy

On February 14 MSC Magnifica will also return at sea to perform her scheduled itineraries of 11 nights in Italy, Greece and Malta

MSC Cruises health and safety protocol

 MSC Cruises in August 2020 became the first major cruise line to resume sailing following the global shutdown of the industry in March caused by the pandemic ashore.

MSC Grandiosa, the Company’s flagship, set sail on Sunday August 16 from Genoa in Italy with guests on board for the first of her 7-night voyages in the Western Mediterranean.

This was achieved following approvals from the relevant authorities in Italy, Malta and Greece of an   industry-leading health and safety protocol designed to protect the wellbeing of all guests, crew and communities to be visited.

This industry-leading protocol, which was designed at the outset to adapt to a fluctuating health situation ashore, was recently strengthened in line with the current evolution of the pandemic in mainland Europe, with a series of enhanced rigorous measures.

The additional measures include the following:

• Additional on-board antigen testing for COVID-19 of all guests mid-way through their cruise which are on top of the existing pre-boarding universal testing for all guests;  
• Frequency of testing of all crew during their time on board increased from twice-a-month to weekly, which is in addition to pre-boarding testing for all crew and other ongoing health monitoring measures;
• Increased frequency of on-board sanitation, in particular of public areas and high touch points;
• Tightening of the definition of close contact for tracing purposes, reducing the time that individuals are in contact from 15 minutes to 10 minutes.

The MSC Cruises protocol is based on nine key elements, many of which have been adopted by other cruise companies, the Cruise Lines Industry Association and international airlines and airports.

1. Testing of all guests at least twice per voyage
2. Testing of all crew at least three times before embarkation and weekly on board
3. Only protected shore excursions, as organised ‘social bubbles’
4. Ventilation with HVAC fresh air
5. Contingency response that does not burden local health infrastructures
6. Isolation space on board and tracking and tracing including close contacts
7. Masks
8. Physical distancing – aided by reduced capacity of the ship
9. And COVID-19 prevalence monitoring

To learn more visit msccruisesusa.com.