Costa Cruises resumes from Covid tests

On the occasion of the restart of its vacations on March 27th, with the flagship Costa Smeralda, the Italian company further strengthens its safety protocols thanks to the “Dante Mobile,” the mobile and automated laboratories of the Italian company Dante Labs, which allow molecular swabs to be performed directly at ports.

Costa Cruises and Dante Labs, an Italian company leader worldwide in genomics and provider of COVID-19 tests, announce the launch of the “mobile laboratory” for COVID-19 tests, a new service that will further strengthen the safety procedures planned for the re-entry of Costa ships.

It is a network of mobile laboratories on vans, which will be used to perform molecular swabs directly at the company’s departure ports. The vehicles, called “Dante mobile,” are equipped with everything needed to perform the tests: virus inactivators, liquid-handling machines, extractors, and PCR. The energy independence, guaranteed by a generator that powers sophisticated lithium-ion batteries, allows each mobile laboratory to analyze up to 1000 samples per day without external energy sources, while the results are transmitted via the latest generation mobile networks.

The “Dante mobile” units will be operational starting March 27th, at the port of Savona, to perform pre-boarding COVID-19 tests for guests of Costa Smeralda, the first ship of the Costa fleet to resume sailing, offering cruises entirely dedicated to Italy. The itinerary includes Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Messina, Cagliari, La Spezia, and can be purchased as a whole, for a duration of one week, or divided into two short cruises of three and four days.

Thanks to this innovation, which will be available not only in Savona but in all major embarkation ports of the Costa Group ships, Costa Cruises will further enhance the safety measures outlined in the Costa Safety Protocol, the protocol containing operational procedures tailored to COVID-19 response needs. One of the main measures of the protocol involves antigen testing for all guests before boarding, which in case of positivity is confirmed through an additional molecular test. As for the crew, molecular tests are scheduled, performed both before boarding and regularly throughout the stay onboard. Thanks to the new mobile laboratories, molecular tests can be performed even more quickly and safely.

Other measures included in the Costa protocol involve temperature control whenever getting on and off the ship, visits to destinations only with protected excursions, physical distancing onboard and at terminals, reduction of passenger numbers, new ways to enjoy onboard services, enhanced sanitization and medical services, and the use of protective masks when necessary.