A panel of internationally recognized medical experts and scientists has confirmed, after rigorously analyzing prevention systems and other measures, that the public health risks associated with the pandemic can be mitigated on cruise travel.
The Healthy Sail Panel presented its recommendations to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday, in response to the CDC's request for suggestions that could be used in the future as public health guidance and preventive measures related to cruise travel. The Panel was created last June by Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
The Healthy Sail Panel is comprised of world-renowned experts in medical practice and research, public health, infectious diseases, biosecurity, hospitality, and maritime operations, who have applied the best and most recent knowledge available in public health, science, and engineering to their recommendations.
The Healthy Sail Panel report includes a compendium of best practices with 74 detailed recommendations aimed at ensuring the public health and safety of passengers, crew, and the communities where ships call. The recommendations include testing, the use of face coverings, and enhanced sanitation procedures on ships and at passenger terminals. The Panel is chaired by former Governor Mike Leavitt, who also served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“The Healthy Sail Panel has spent the last four months studying how we can improve the health and safety protection of passengers and crew on board cruise ships,” explained Dr. Gottlieb. “From a general perspective, we believe the public health recommendations formulated by the Panel will provide guidance on the strategies that should be put in place to ensure the safe resumption of sailing,” he indicated.
Governor Leavitt said, “This Panel conducted an ambitious, interdisciplinary public health review to develop standards and guidelines to create the highest level of safety in the complex environment of a cruise ship. We studied industry experiences in combating the pandemic and then incorporated the many lessons learned and advances made by medicine and science over the past six months. The Panel’s recommendations are based on the best available scientific and medical information and are intended to significantly mitigate public health risks for those who cruise.”.
“We recognize our responsibility to act decisively to protect the health and safety of our passengers and crew, as well as the communities where we sail, and it is for this reason that we have asked the Panel for its assistance in learning how to better fulfill that responsibility,” said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “The Panel’s hard work has inspired us, as has its determination to help us establish the strongest protocols in the travel industry.”.
“The Healthy Sail Panel’s recommendations are strong and quite comprehensive, and reflect the outstanding approach the panelists brought to their work,” explained Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “We know that both authorities and consumers expect cruise lines to provide the safest and healthiest vacations possible, and this work demonstrates our commitment to meeting that demand,” he added.
Fain and Del Rio explained that each company will use the Panel's recommendations to inform the development of new operating protocols, which will be submitted to the CDC and other authorities worldwide for review and approval—a significant milestone globally in the process of resuming cruises. The group's work is open source, allowing third parties to add their own protocols. Former Governor Leavitt and Dr. Gottlieb expressed their appreciation that authorities and other cruise lines have already participated in the Panel's work as observers.
The Healthy Sail Panel has identified five key areas that every cruise operator should address to improve the health and safety of passengers and crew, and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and spread on ships:
- Testing, detection and exposure reduction
- Sanitation and Ventilation
- Response, contingency planning, and execution
- Destination and excursion planning
- Mitigate risks to crew members
In each category, the Healthy Sail Panel proposes a series of specific recommendations to address particular safety issues. These include key strategies such as:
- Take decisive measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from entering a ship through proper education, screening, and testing of crew and passengers before boarding
- Reducing transmission through air management strategies and sanitation practices
- Implement detailed plans to address any positive infections on ships, including contingencies for onboard treatment, isolation, and rapid evacuation and repatriation
- Closely monitor shore excursions
- Enhanced protection for crew members
The full Healthy Cruise Panel report can be found on the Royal Caribbean Group website or the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. website.
