White House blocks CDC order to keep cruise ships docked until 2021
The White House has blocked a new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep cruise ships docked until mid-February, a step that would have displeased the politically powerful tourism industry in the crucial swing state of Florida.
The current “no sail” policy, which was originally put in place in April and later extended, was set to expire Wednesday. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, had recommended the extension.
But at a meeting of the coronavirus task force Tuesday, Redfield’s plan was overruled, according to a senior federal health official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The administration will instead allow the ships to sail after
Oct. 31, the date the industry had already agreed to in its own plan.
Brian Morgenstern, the White House deputy press secretary, said the administration’s cruise ship plans were not politically motivated. “The president, the vice president and the task force follow the science and data to implement policies that protect the public health and also facilitate the safe reopening of our country,” he said.
The CDC under Redfield’s leadership has received harsh criticism from scientists for its handling of the pandemic. Redfield, squeezed between the White House’s desire to reopen the economy and scientists’ concerns about further spread of the virus, warned that allowing cruise ships to sail without proper precautions could lead to a public health disaster.
The cruise ship industry has considerable political influence in Florida, a state Trump is fighting hard to win in the election. Republican politicians in Florida and cruise industry lobbyists have called for ending the no-sail order.