Virtu Ferries said on Friday it has put in place a rigorous social distancing protocol that sees its vessels' passenger carrying capacity drastically reduced.

Ports, closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will reopen on July 1 and Virtu will restart its trips to Sicily, one of 19 countries/regions where travel is permitted.

The company said that although the vessel, the Saint John Paul II has 1,100 seats, including 110 open-air seats on both the main deck and the bridge deck, social distancing will be maintained throughout the 90-minute voyage, with only passengers from the same household allowed to occupy adjacent seats.

Social distancing will also be enforced during embarkation and disembarkation with the use of the terminal being strictly limited to passengers and members of Virtu staff.

As an added precaution, senior citizens and vulnerable persons have been asked to inform the purser or a member of the cabin crew to be provided with appropriate seating arrangements.

Times of Malta reported this week that the company has increased prices to compensate for a reduction in capacity to implement social distancing.