| New Viking Health & Safety program

VIKING has announced its Health & Safety Program, developed in coordination with an international team of scientific and medical advisors.

The crux of the program will include daily PCR testing for all Viking guests and crews (CW 03 Nov), processed in full-scale dedicated onboard and shoreside laboratories, new air purification technology installed on all ships, and additional health checks, sanitisation and physical distancing to protect guests and crews at all points of the journey.

To aid travellers with what to expect on their journey, Viking has released a step-by-step online guide, taking guests from doorstep to doorstep.

Journeys will begin with an online digital health questionnaire developed by scientific and medical advisors, however guests will not be required to take a coronavirus test before travel.

Once in-location, guests will be assigned boarding times based on their flight arrivals.

Check-in counters will be spread out to ensure proper distancing, and sanitised between every guest’s check-in, with a touch-free online option to also be available.

In cooperation with local partners, all cruise port terminals will be sanitised prior to guest arrival, and upon embarkation, guests will receive a temperature check via a touchless thermometer, and complete another health questionnaire, before undergoing their first PCR test, processed via a saliva sample in a plastic tube.

Depending on local regulations and travel itineraries, guests may be asked to wait for test results in their hotel or a designated waiting area.

Further tests and questionnaires will be conducted aboard the ship each day from guestrooms.

On board, face masks may be required for all guests and crew members while moving about the ship, depending on conditions at time of sailing.

All staterooms will feature independent air handling units that do not share air with other areas of the ship, and air in public areas will also been purified with new short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) lights and high-density filters, which kill 99.99% of all airborne viruses and bacteria.

Onboard temperature checks will be conducted via automated thermal cameras, while ship surfaces will be cleaned and sanitised continuously with daily scheduled deep cleanings.

Ocean ships will use sanitisation robots that utilise UV-C light to treat surfaces in public areas.

Only Viking shore excursions will be offered while in port, with each excursion to utilise audio headsets to allow for physical distancing among groups.

Complimentary face masks will be provided for excursions where proper physical distancing may not be possible, or if required by local guidelines, and upon return to the ship, guest temperatures will be checked via automated thermal cameras.

To view the Health & Safety Program in full, and to view a list of frequently asked questions, CLICK HERE.

Viking also recently advised travellers it was extending its suspension of cruises worldwide through until the end of Mar.

For more information, call Viking on 1800 143 775.