Cruise line P&O has changed its vaccination policy for its UK summer sailings on Britannia and Iona, with guests required to have received both jabs – or a single dose of the one-shot Janssen vaccine – at least 14 days before departure for all sailings from this Thursday.

Previously guests sailing up to 24 September could receive their second dose up to seven days before departure.

The cruise line said it had changed its policy due to ‘evolving scientific and medical advice and the latest understanding of the Delta variant’.

All guests will also undergo a free COVID PCR test at the terminal prior to departure.

Guests sailing with the P&O Cruises from 25 September to the end of the year were already required to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure. Under 17s sailing from 25 September have the option of producing a negative PCR test instead.

P&O’s decision follows a change in policy by MSC Cruises, which announced last week that all passengers cruising on MSC Virtuosa this summer must be fully vaccinated.

MSC’s change of policy was in expectation of the Government allowing ships to carry more passengers as long as they’re all double-jabbed, but this change has not yet been confirmed by the Department for Transport. Ships are currently still limited to carrying only half their normal capacity or a maximum of 1,000 guests, whichever is the lower.