COVID - P&O EXTENDS HALT TO INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY VOYAGES

 BBC News 3 March 2021

Cruises were first paused in March due to the coronavirus pandemic

Cruise firm P&O has extended the halt to its international holiday voyages due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Southampton-based company, which is part of the Carnival group, said it planned to run "staycation" sailings around UK coastal waters instead.

The latest round of cancellations affects over 90 planned cruises.

Cruises on Arcadia, Aurora, Azura and Ventura have been cancelled until the end of August and on Britannia and Iona until the end of September.

IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES

image captionWith voyages paused P&O cruise ships have been moored up off Weymouth

The short break and week-long UK summer holiday cruises will all leave from Southampton.

The company ended its cruises in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic and has not resumed any of its voyages since.

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Guests with bookings on cancelled cruises will be offered credit on a future cruise or a refund.

In March 2020, the firm brought its ships back to Southampton in response to the coronavirus pandemic

The cruises ships have become an unusual tourist attraction anchored off the south coast.