The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the extension of the order to prohibit all cruise ships from sailing in North American waters.
“We are working with the cruise industry to consider the health and safety of the crew on board, as well as the U.S. communities near cruise ports,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield.
“The measures we are taking today to stop the spread of Covid-19 are necessary to protect Americans, and we will continue to provide critical public health guidance to industry to limit the impacts of Covid-19 on its workforce for the remainder of this pandemic period.”
Currently, there are approximately 100 cruise ships at sea off the East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf Coast, with nearly 80,000 crew members on board. Some of these ships off the coast of the United States have crew members who are not critical to maintaining seaworthiness or basic safe operation of the cruise ships, such as the ship's hotel and hotel staff.- passenger monitoring and crew medical check-ups
- crew training in COVID-19 prevention
- manage and respond to an outbreak on board, and
- send the plan to the USCG and CDC for review
CLIA has already submitted two draft operational plans, but the CDC continues to request more details before approving it.
The order will remain in effect until the first of any of these situations occurs:
- First, the expiration of the declaration by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that Covid-19 constitutes a public health emergency.
- Second, the CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on other considerations.
- Or third, 100 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.
