The US government public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has extended a No Sail Order for cruise ships through to 30 September 2020, thus prohibiting until the start of October – at the earliest – any passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity of 250 passengers and crew or more, in waters subject to US jurisdiction.
The move by CDC supports the decision by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to voluntarily suspend operations for passenger cruise ship travel until 15 September 2020.
“In line with CLIA’s announcement of voluntary suspension of operation by its member companies, CDC has extended its No Sail Order to ensure that passenger operations on cruise ships do not resume prematurely,” the CDC said in a statement issued Friday.
Cumulative CDC data from 1 March through 10 July 2020, shows 2973 Covid-19 or Covid-like illness cases on cruise ships, in addition to 34 deaths. These cases were part of 99 outbreaks on 123 different cruise ships.
During this time frame, 80% of ships were affected by Covid-19. As of 3 July, nine of the 49 ships under the No Sail Order have ongoing or resolving outbreaks. According to U.S. Coast Guard data, as of July 10, 2020, there are 67 ships with 14,702 crew onboard.
This Order will remain in effect until the earliest of:
- 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, or
- 30 September 2020.
The CDC points out: “On cruise ships, passengers and crew share spaces that are more crowded than most urban settings. Even when only essential crew are on board, ongoing spread of Covid-19 still occurs.
“If unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations were permitted to resume, passengers and crew on board would be at increased risk of Covid-19 infection and those that work or travel on cruise ships would place substantial unnecessary risk on healthcare workers, port personnel and federal partners (i.e., Customs and Border Protection and the US Coast Guard), and the communities they return to.”
The order applies to all commercial, non-cargo, passenger-carrying vessels with the capacity to carry 250 or more individuals (passengers and crew) and with an itinerary anticipating an overnight stay onboard or a 24-hour stay onboard for either passengers or crew that are operating in international, interstate, or intrastate waterways, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
The order also applies to cruise ships operating outside of US waters “if the cruise ship operator intends for the ship to return to operating in international, interstate, or intrastate waterways, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States during the period that this Order is in effect.”
Edited by Peter Needham
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