This puts cruise ships closer to open water sailing sooner, the agency stated.
April 29, 2021 10:34 am
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN)- According to the CDC, cruises in the U.S. could resume as early as mid-July.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, March 2020, the CDC has blocked cruise ships that carry over 250 people from sailing into U.S. waters.
On Wednesday, the CDC made some clarifications to its existing return-to-sailing framework, now allowing cruise companies to bypass the previously required simulated voyages if a ship can prove that 98% of its crew and 95% of its passengers are fully vaccinated.
The St Kitts Nevis Observer
Shares of cruise lines including Royal Carribean were trading higher on Thursday after the Centers for Disease Control said Americans could relax and party on the high seas again as soon as this July – if they are fully vaccinated.
Cruising from U.S. ports could restart in mid-summer in American waters, the CDC said late Wednesday in a letter to the cruise industry obtained by USA Today.
“We acknowledge that cruising will never be a zero-risk activity and that the goal of the (Conditional Sailing Order)’s phased approach is to resume passenger operations in a way that mitigates the risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard cruise ships and across port communities,” Aimee Treffiletti, head of the Maritime Unit for CDC’s COVID-19 response within its Global Mitigation Task Force for COVID-19, said in the letter.
CDC says U.S. cruises could resume in mid-July
By FOX 35 News Staff
Published
Report: Cruises could restart in July
Summer could see the return of cruises from U.S. ports, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - Summer could see the return of cruises from U.S. ports, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC announced that cruises could possibly resume in mid-July, ending a months-long No Sail order. We acknowledge that cruising will never be a zero-risk activity and that the goal of the CSO’s phased approach is to resume passenger operations in a way that mitigates the risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard cruise ships and across port communities, Aimee Treffiletti, head of the Maritime Unit for CDC’s COVID-19 response within its Global Mitigation Task Force for COVID-19, said in the letter obtained by USA Today.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are "committed" to allowing cruise ships to resume passenger operations in mid-summer, the agency.
Earlier this month, the state of Florida filed a lawsuit against the federal government demanding that cruise ships be allowed to start sailing immediately.
In announcing the lawsuit, which Alaska has since joined, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the no-sail order is outdated and hurts the state as the industry generates billions for the economy and employs tens of thousands of Floridians. Gov. Ron DeSantis announces that Florida is suing the federal government and the CDC to allow cruises to reopen.
The CDC on April 2 had issued new guidelines for companies on how to respond in the event of COVID-19 cases but has so far not lifted its no-sail order.