Crew on first post-lockdown Greek cruise contract coronavirus

A dozen crew members on the first cruise ship to dock in Greece after the coronavirus lockdown have tested positive for the virus.

The Maltese-flagged Mein Schiff 6, operated by the travel company Tui, is moored off the Aegean island of Milos with 922 passengers onboard, according to the Greek coastguard.

Quick guide UK quarantine rules explained

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What are the quarantine rules?

Anyone entering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from somewhere that is not on that country’s list of exempt travel corridors is required to go into self-isolation for 14 days.

What if the rules are not the same between the different countries of the UK?

You can’t get round the rules by using a different airport. For instance, as of 4 September travellers returning to Wales and Scotland from Portugal are required to quarantine. This is true even if they fly into an English airport, despite Portugal still being on England’s green list.

How are the rules enforced?

Everyone entering the UK, including British nationals, must fill in a passenger locator form, regardless of whether or not they need to quarantine. The form asks travellers to provide their contact details and UK address.

If someone who is required to self-isolate does not provide an address, the government will arrange accommodation at the traveller’s expense.

What does quarantine mean you can’t do?

For 14 days, starting from the day after arrival, people who are quarantining should not:

• Go to work, school, or public areas.
• Have visitors, except for essential support.
• Go out to buy food, or other essentials, if they can rely on others to do this for them.
• Use taxis or public transport to reach their destination on arrival in the UK, if possible.
• Use public transport or taxis once at their destination.

The quarantine rules apply to everyone apart from selected groups of people such as freight drivers, very regular business travellers, and politicians or other dignitaries.

How do I find out which countries are on the list?

The travel restrictions are being frequently updated, and are available on the relevant government and administration websites linked to here, with separate lists covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

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The positive results surfaced after tests on 150 of the 666-member crew, she said.

“They are assistant staff,” a coastguard spokeswoman said. “They have been isolated onboard, and we are awaiting instructions from the public health agency on where the ship is to sail.”

The ship had sailed from the Cretan port of Iraklio on Sunday evening and was heading to Piraeus near Athens. The passengers had a clean bill of health before the voyage, the spokeswoman said.

The Tui vessel was the first to return to Greek waters after lockdown measures were imposed in March, local operators said, docking at Iraklio in mid-September.