Coronavirus: Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh closed to visitors

The Royal Yacht Britannia has been closed to visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ship formerly used by Queen Elizabeth will be closed from Thursday March 19 until further notice.

Nicola Sturgeon announces schools in Scotland will close at the end of the week

A statement on the Royal Yacht Britannia website announced: “Following the recommendations issued by the Government’s health advisors about avoiding unnecessary social contact and not using public transport, in order to protect our staff and visitors, we have taken the decision to close Britannia from Thursday 19 March until further notice.

“We hope to see you back on board very soon, please keep checking our website and social media for updates.”

It comes after advice from the government to avoid all ‘non-essential’ travel and contact with others to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 has risen to 227 in Scotland, as the country recorded its third death.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was used by Queen Elizabeth II from 1954 until its decommissioning in 1997.

It then spent two years unused and unloved until being turned into the visitor attraction it is today at Leith docks.

Over its near 45 year lifespan as a working ship, it sailed more than one million miles, equivalent to traversing the circumference of the earth every year.