The International Cruise Line Association, which represents 95% of the global ocean cruise capacity, announced on the 3rd that the suspension of cruise ships operating in the United States will be extended to December 31.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted the seven-month cruise ship ban in US waters last week, but the International Cruise Association announced on the 3rd that its members “voluntarily” chose to keep cruise ships in US waters out of service until the end of this year.
The International Cruise Line Association represents many large cruise companies around the world, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line. The three largest cruise operators in the world are headquartered in Miami, Florida, and each owns multiple cruise brands.
The International Cruise Association said that cruise operators will “use the rest of this year” to prepare for safe resumption of flights in accordance with the latest guidance from public health experts and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Associated Press reported that although the number of new crown cases in the United States is still rising, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new regulations on October 30 to allow large cruise ships to resume flights in the United States, but set a series of regulations on cruise ship epidemic prevention. For example, all passengers and crew must be tested for the new crown virus before and after the cruise ship departs and after it returns; the cruise ship sailing time must not exceed 7 days.
The Miami Herald reported that the International Cruise Line Association had previously promised to test all passengers and crew for the new crown virus before the cruise ship sailed, but as of last week it has not yet decided on the type of testing and operating procedures.
According to the guidance of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if cruise operators want to resume their flights, they must set up inspections and quarantine procedures for crews and passengers.
They must set up testing laboratories on all cruise ships under their umbrella. If necessary, arrange passengers ashore for quarantine. Volunteers pretend to be “sick passengers” as a simulated sailing exercise as an epidemic prevention plan.
Due to the outbreak of the new crown epidemic on multiple cruise ships, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention banned cruise ships from entering US ports in mid-March, and later extended the “ban on shipping.”
The International Cruise Association estimates that the economic loss caused by the suspension of the cruise industry in the United States exceeds $25 billion and the loss of 164,000 jobs.
