On April 9th, 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new extension of its “No Sail Order” for cruise ships as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The original order was placed on March 14, first set to be 30 days in the first instance. Now, the CDC has since extended through a 100-day period. The U.S. cruise industry has worked closely with the CDC and relevant authorities throughout the emergence of the pandemic. As such, the industry has suspended operations to ports all around the world since then.
“We are working with the cruise line industry to address the health and safety of crew at sea as well as communities surrounding U.S. cruise ship points of entry,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield. “The measures we are taking today to stop the spread of COVID-19 are necessary to protect Americans”, he says. “We will continue to provide critical public health guidance to the industry to limit the impacts of COVID-19 on its workforce throughout this pandemic.”
100 More days of “No Sail Order” will remain in tact unless the following occurs earlier:
- The expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency.
- The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations.
Read more on the CDC’s role in helping cruise ship travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic