Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many covid-19 cases have been linked to the outbreak of covid-19 on MSC Virtuosa.

As part of the Department’s ongoing monitoring of cruise restart, we were notified through both industry reporting and Test and Trace that a number of crew and passengers tested positive for COVID-19 during and after domestic sailings on the MSC Virtuosa last month.

Cases on board were managed in line with industry protocols, in coordination with Public Health England and port health authorities. My officials have spoken with MSC and are content with the implementation of the protocols.

The evidence from cruises continues to strongly demonstrate that cruises can operate safely and respond to any outbreaks effectively.