Victoria Clipper to resume Seattle sailings in April
The Victoria Clipper is set to resume its ferry service between the capital city and Seattle, Wash., starting in April.
Clipper Vacations CEO David Gudgel says the federal government's change to entry requirements were instrumental in bringing the service back into operation, starting April 15.
Ottawa announced Tuesday it was eliminating the pre-arrival PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers, starting Feb. 28.
The Clipper is planning to operate for the remainder of 2022 on a reduced scheduled, making only one roundtrip per day as opposed to the usual two trips.
The Clipper ceased sailings in March 2020, at the outset of the pandemic, and briefly tried to resume the service last fall before abandoning the plan due to the onerous entry requirements, particularly the PCR test.
"We had made the decision on Monday, and announced to our employees on Monday, that we were going to start on [April 15] no matter what," Gudgel told CTV News on Wednesday.
"The timing just ended up being great because yesterday we received confirmation that the PCR portion of the requirement was being lifted."
The Clipper CEO says the company relies on advanced bookings to operate profitably and he is hopeful for a busy spring and summer season.
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