Royal Caribbean Group will no longer require fully vaccinated guests to take COVID tests before boarding short cruises.

Starting from 8 August, the new policy will apply to cruises of up to five nights.

The company, which owns Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises, will still require unvaccinated guests and guests travelling on voyages of six nights or longer to take a test within three days of their departure date.

Royal Caribbean Group’s relaxation of its testing rule comes a week after the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its voluntary COVID reporting programme for cruise ships.