The dangerous lung disease from China, from which 80 people have already died, now has ramifications for the cruise industry. Several providers, including MSC and Royal Caribbean, have ceased their trips in China with immediate effect.
The new type of corona virus keeps the world in suspense: While China has closed off numerous train stations and airports and cordoned off the metropolis of Wuhan, other countries are also taking more and more precautions against the lung disease. The security precautions are particularly high at airports.
However, the corona virus has also reached the cruise industry. Several shipping companies have announced plans to suspend cruise trips in China to prevent the virus from spreading. The cruise operators Costa Crociere, MSC, Royal Caribbean and Genting Cruise Lines have ceased operations in China, according to "Cruise Industry News".
Costa Asia cancels several cruises
Specifically, the cruise company Costa Crociere is concerned with the following trips by the Asia sister, as the "Cruise Industry News" portal reports:
- “Costa Serena” trips on January 25th and 31st,
- “Costa Neoromantica” trips on January 25th and 30th and on February 2nd,
- Cruises of the "Costa Atlantica" on January 27th and 31st and
- "Costa Venezia" cruises on January 26 and February 2
The MSC shipping company canceled the MSC Splendida trip on January 28, 2020. Here, too, customers should get the full travel price back and get a credit for the next trip.
The cruise line Costa Asia said in a statement that affected passengers were entitled to full reimbursement of the travel price. In addition, travelers would receive a $ 50 onboard credit for another cruise date. As a spokeswoman for Costa told FOCUS Online, no European customers are affected by the cruise trips canceled in China.
more on the subject:
State of emergency in China
The new lung disease has spread rapidly in China since the end of 2019 and has now reached Europe. Three cases were found in France on Friday evening. Patients are quarantined in hospitals. In China, the number of infected people increased by over 400 in one day to more than 1,300. All regions of the country except Tibet are affected. The number of deaths in China rose to 80 cases by Monday.
China has taken drastic measures to prevent the new corona virus from spreading. More than 40 million people in a dozen cities in the heart of the country have been largely isolated from the outside world by stopping traffic.