The first cruise visit of 2020, scheduled for Friday 20 March has been cancelled, as a precautionary measure, as the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation continues to develop.
This difficult decision, which is based on advice from Guernsey's Public Health Services, has been made following discussions with the Strategic Co-ordinating Group, Guernsey Harbours and other stakeholders.
The visiting ship, MS Fridtjof Nansen, is the only scheduled cruise visit before the 9th April. No other visits are being cancelled at this stage but the situation is being kept under continuous review.
General Manager - Ports Colin Le Ray said:
"We really value the contribution that each and every cruise ship makes by bringing visitors to our Island. They are an important part of our tourist economy. We are taking great care in making decisions that may have an impact on local businesses, however whilst we are seeking advice on the handling of cruise ships from the appropriate agencies, we considered it sensible to cancel this first scheduled visit. We hope the community understand why we've made this decision and we want to thank them again for their support."
For information, including travel advice, relating to novel coronavirus COVID-19, please go to www.gov.gg/coronavirus. For clinical concerns please call the coronavirus helpline 756938 or 756969.