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I just picked up this article from Cruise Industry News with Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises saying at the company’s third quarter earnings call, “We believe we can make it so you are safer on a ship than on Main Street,” adding, “Europe has demonstrated that,” referring to TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd and Silversea having operated 70 cruises.

Fain said, “They have demonstrated the ability to prevent (virus) spread on the ships and to deal with any incidents” and that before the start-up in Europe this past summer, the cruise brands had worked closely with public health experts and political authorities.

Fain said “TUI and Hapag-Lloyd are continuing to operate, because we have seen such good results,” adding that he is optimistic that the industry will soon have a pathway to resume operations and “This may be slower than I wish, but faster than what many be assuming.”

He said that with ships offering a controlled environment, Fain also noted that they can in effect be “bubbles” offering less risk than on land, with meanwhile, a return would first involve trial cruises with outside observers aboard, adding “The concept of trial cruises [as required by CDC] is important and we’ll have the opportunity to see the protocols in action and make adjustments.”

A report by John Alwyn-Jones