Cruise Giant Halts Cruises Due to Coronavirus
Effective immediately Viking the cruise line is suspending operations all over the world. Coronavirus is to blame. The cruise giant announced late Wednesday that their entire fleet of more than 70 river ships and 6 ocean ships would halt operations. This has left several American's with ruined vacation plans.
Viking's founder, Torstein Hagen, sent a letter to passengers that were ready to set sail and said “The situation has now become such that operating as a travel company involves significant risks of quarantines or medical detentions, which could diminish the travel experiences for which our guests have been planning,”
All sailings that were scheduled to start today through April 30th have been canceled. The founder said that his company would resume operations on May 1st.
Viking carries about 500,000 travelers annually and boasts 10,000 employees. The cruise giant is the first cruise line to suspend operations during the outbreak of COVID-19.