ORLANDO, Fla. — No cruise ships will be setting sail until at least October after the CDC Thursday extended a No Sail Order because of the coronavirus.
What You Need To Know
- No Sail Order was supposed to expire July 24
- CDC still helping to move thousands of crew members off ships
- New extension expires September 30
The order was originally signed by the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, on March 14, and suspended embarkation from U.S. ports. It was extended on April 15 and was supposed to expire on July 24.
The Cruise Line International Association, the lobbying group for several major cruise ship companies, had already canceled cruise ship sailings through September 14. But the CDC says that not all cruise ships are subject to the CLIA’s decision, and the agency wants to make sure cruise companies do not resume service prematurely.
Surging coronavirus cases in several states are partly to blame for the order extension.
Since March, the CDC has been working to help the cruise ships get passengers and crew members safely off the ships. The agency says it is still working to help safely get over 8,000 crew members off the boats, as of July 10.
The agency says as part of the order’s April extension, the cruise ship companies were supposed to submit plans on how each would minimize the coronavirus risk. But as of July 10, only one company operating in U.S. waters had met all the elements required in the plan: Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line.
The new extension of the order ends on September 30.
The full No Sail Order, along with a deeper explanation of the plan requirements, is available on the CDC website.
