Today the Italian cruise line Costa Cruises, announced they will not allow embarkation of passengers from Italian ports until April 3. The cancelations come after the Italian government imposed travel restrictions across the country. Voyages currently underway will stop in Italian ports only to allow guests to disembark and return home, the company said in a statement.

"As an Italian company and the only cruise operator flying the Italian flag, we are committed to guarantee compliance with the regulations and support to the Italian authorities and the community in this extraordinary effort to face the current situation of emergency" - said Neil Palomba  President of Costa Crociere Spa.

The company is promptly informing all guests involved by these changes, offering them a future cruise credit so that they will be able to enjoy the cruise experience at a later date. In the past days, Costa Crociere had already cancelled all outgoing Italian guests departing from cruises outside the Mediterranean in an effort to contain risks, preserve the environment and enforce the specific measures issued by the Italian Government. The health and safety of guests and crew members is the utmost priority for Costa Cruises. On board Costa ships, the level of sanitization has been increased to ensure maximum hygiene and safety for guests and crew members. The Company has adopted rigid health screenings upon embarkation since the beginning of the Covid-19 emergency.

This announcement will affect Costa Smeralda, which is currently the only Costa cruise ship sailing out of Italy, calling at Civitavecchia and Savona as departure ports. The cruise ship Costa Pacifica wich is currently sailing Transatlantic cruise after finishing the South American season is expected to arrive in Genoa on March 23.