AMERICA’S Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has formally banned any cruising until mid-Jul, extending its previous 30-day No Sail Order for a further 100 days, or until the coronavirus emergency ends.
The formal order confirms there are about 50 cruise ships at sea off the US east coast and the Bahamas with almost 50,000 crew aboard, while off the west coast and Gulf Coast are a further 45 ships with an estimated 32,000 crew aboard.
A response framework prepared by the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) “must go further to reduce industry reliance on government and shoreside hospital resources,” the CDC ruling advises.
“The Director of CDC finds that cruise ship travel exacerbates the global spread of COVID-19 and that the scope of this pandemic is inherently and necessarily a problem that is international and interstate in nature and has not been controlled sufficiently by the cruise ship industry or individual state or local health authorities,” the order adds.
The CDC has ordered cruise ship operators to immediately develop a robust plan to “prevent, mitigate and respond to the spread of COVID-19 on board cruise ships,” with the document required within seven days.
Cruise lines have started to once again amend their plans in light of the ruling, with Carnival Cruise Line cancelling all sailings up to 26 Jun, as well as all 2020 San Francisco departures.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Australian sailings are paused until 15 Jun.
