USA TODAY International Edition
CDC’s ‘ no- sail’ order officially extends until November
Two hours before its “no- sail” order was set to expire, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Wednesday it is extending its “nosail” order for the U. S. cruise industry through Oct. 31.
The CDC’s previous order had been scheduled to end Wednesday after extensions to the original mid- March order were issued in April and again in July.
The CDC requested that the order be extended to Feb. 15 but compromised with the White House Task Force to extend until Oct. 31, four days before the Nov. 3 election, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY on Tuesday.
USA TODAY has reached out to White House officials for additional information.
“We look forward to engaging in a thoughtful and productive dialogue with our partners and regulators in the United States to return to cruising in the region,” Bari Golin- Blaugrund, vice president of strategic communications for Cruise Lines International Association, the leading industry organization, told USA TODAY upon news of the extension Wednesday night.
On Tuesday, Axios reported that CDC Director Robert Redfield was overruled in the White House Situation Room regarding a Feb. 15 no- sail extension.
U. S. COVID- 19 daily cases are down from a high in July but continue to exceed those of most other countries around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The U. S. has logged more than 7 million cases of COVID- 19 and more than 200,000 deaths.
In August, Cruise Lines International Association, the major trade organization for oceangoing cruise lines, announced its member lines would not sail in U. S. waters through Oct. 31 – at earliest.
The trade organization’s member lines carry 95% of the world’s ocean- going cruisers.
Like the CDC’s order, the directive applies to vessels that can carry 250 or more passengers.
“We are confident in the industry’s ability to resume operations from U. S. ports in a responsible, phased- in manner,” Golin- Blaugrund said late Wednesday.
“Our actions will build off of the continued success the cruise industry has experienced with recent sailings in
Europe and other parts of the world, as well as the guidance we’ve received from some of the world’s leading experts in medicine and science,” she continued.
Ahead of the CDC’s announcement, CLIA announced last week it would implement new core elements mandatory on member ships. Those include mandating crew and passenger testing, mask wearing, enhanced cruise ship ventilation, stringent response procedures and shore excursion protocols to make it safe to sail during the COVID- 19 pandemic.
CLIA worked with cruise lines citing recommendations from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian’s “Healthy Sail Panel,” Carnival Corp.’ s independent experts and from MSC’s Blue Ribbon group.
The group also examined sailings that proved safe with new rules enforced on board in Europe on lines including MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises, Seadream, Ponant and TUI, among others.
“Based on what we are seeing in Europe, and following months of collaboration with leading public health experts, scientists, and governments, we are confident that these measures will provide a pathway for the return of limited sailings from the U. S. before the end of this year,” Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of CLIA, said in an overview of the elements.
Some cruise lines have taken initiative on their own to extend their sailing suspensions past the new date the CDC’s order is now set to end.
On Thursday, Carnival Cruise Line canceled cruises from U. S. home ports for November and December of this year, except for Miami and Port Canaveral.
Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of cruising giant Carnival, extended its operational pause in the U. S. through Dec. 15.
And Virgin Voyages announced Tuesday morning that it made the call to cancel all November sailings, spokesperson Michelle Estevam confirmed to USA TODAY.