Coronavirus: Cunard cruises suspended until November

Cruises were abandoned in March as the coronavirus pandemic hit

The suspension of Cunard cruises has been extended until November.

The Southampton-based company, which is part of the Carnival group, had paused operations until the end of July.

But the firm's president Simon Palethorpe said the ability for people to move "freely and safely across borders remains seemingly some way in the distance".

Cunard's three ships began to sail back to Southampton in March when it halted cruises amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

All sailings have been cancelled for Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria up to November 1, and for Queen Elizabeth up to November 23.

Mr Palethorpe said there were "glimpses of hope on the horizon" as countries eased restrictions, but "months of uncertainty" remained for the travel industry.

He said the firm needed to "better understand the implications Covid-19 will have on board our ships" and would resume operations when it has developed enhanced health and safety regimes.

He said the carrier would be reviewing cleaning protocols, social distancing on board and looking at how to screen passengers and crew,

Cruise ships have been moored up off the Dorset coast

Last week another Carnival UK company, P&O Cruises, extended its pause in sailings until mid-October.

Southampton-based Carnival UK last month announced plans to cut 450 jobs across Cunard and P&O Cruises, to "ensure the future sustainability" of the business.

SAGA has suspended cruises until 1 September, while Princess Cruises has cancelled cruises to the end of the 2020 summer season.

Fred Olsen also paused cruise operations and Royal Caribbean said its "goal is to resume operations on 1 August".

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