Chinese cruises set sail after pandemic suspension

Tickets were selling fast for the ships, which can sail at up to 50 per cent capacity.

China.- The Nanhai Dream has become the first cruise ship to resume operations in China since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

After almost 11 months of closure, Hainan Cruises’ ship has begun operations between Sanya and the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, with a 50 per cent capacity cap in place.

Tickets are reported to be selling well for the four-day trip, which is priced at 4,880 yuan (US$745) per person for a six-person inner cabin and 26,800 yuan (US$4,093) per person for a luxury sea-view suite.

A second ship, Changle Gongzhu, is also scheduled to begin sailing. Both will only accept tourists from low-risk areas for Covid-19.

Passengers must also provide a negative nucleic acid test certificate issued within a week before boarding and present a green health code. Temperature checks will be carried out on board.

If all goes well, China is expected to expand the capacity limit to 70 per cent. It is hoped that the operations will encourage more domestic and more cruise operators to apply to resume trips.

However, in Singapore recently a ship had to return to port due to a passenger falsely testing positive for Covid-19 on board.