The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised the cruise industry that passenger voyages could resume in mid-July provided crews abide by stringent safety guidelines.
“We acknowledge that cruising will never be a zero-risk activity and that the goal of the [CDC conditional sailing order’s] phased approach is to resume passenger operations in a way that mitigates the risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard cruise ships and across port communities,” said Aimee Treffiletti, head of the maritime unit for the CDC’s COVID-19 response.
FLORIDA SUING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ALLOW CRUISES TO RESUME
The CDC letter presented updated guidance for cruise lines to follow before resuming cruises as part of the conditional sailing order, which was introduced in late October to replace the previous no-sail order, which had remained in action since March 2020. The letter outlined a series of safety precautions the cruise lines must take in order to resume voyages in U.S. waters, such as contingency plans for the event that an unvaccinated passenger is exposed to COVID-19 and must quarantine, according to USA Today. The cruise industry will also be required to embark on simulated voyages with crew and volunteers before accepting paying passengers, unless 98% of crew and 95% of passengers have been fully vaccinated.
“We are looking forward to resuming operations out of various ports around the world in the coming months,” Richard Fain, CEO of Royal Caribbean, said Thursday. “Although this is only part of a very complex process, it encourages us that we now see a pathway to a healthy and achievable return to service, hopefully in time for an Alaskan season.”
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The Biden administration is under growing pressure to lift the CDC’s order, which is set to expire in November, after a year without cruising from U.S. ports has hurt states’ economies. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced earlier this month that the state would file a lawsuit against the Biden administration to reopen the U.S. cruising industry after a pause that cost the state 49,500 jobs paying more than $2 billion in wages, as well as $3.2 billion in lost economic activity.
