Princess Cruises has reintroduced its mandatory mask policy on Island Princess following a spike of Covid cases among passengers and crew.
Island Princess will arrive in Southampton next week once it completes a cruise from Fort Lauderdale. It will then offer a string of ex-Southampton sailings this summer before moving to Civitavecchia, Italy, in October.
The line confirmed “some” positive Covid-19 cases among passengers and crew on the 2,200-passenger vessel’s current sailing.
It added the cases were either “asymptomatic” or “mildly symptomatic” and their close contacts had been quarantined as well.
A Princess Cruises spokesperson said: “[Covid cases and their contacts] have been isolated and quarantined and are being monitored and cared for by our shipboard medical team.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we will now be requiring guests to wear face masks while indoors at all times, except when eating or drinking or in their own staterooms.”