By
Alex Smith |
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has extended its No Sail Order, suspending operations on cruise ships with capacity for at least 250 people until 31 October.
According to the CDC, a total of 3,689 cases of Covid-19 or Covid-like illness have been confirmed onboard cruise ships from 1 March to 28 September.
“If unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations were permitted to resume, passengers and crew on board would be at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection,” said the CDC in a media statement. “The continued spread of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, risk of resurgence in countries that have suppressed transmission, ongoing concerns related to restarting of cruising internationally, and need for additional time to assess industry measures to control potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission on board cruise ships with passengers without burdening public health, support continuation of the No Sail Order at this time.”
The new date matches the suspension that was agreed voluntarily by the Cruise Line International Association and its members in August.
“CDC supports the decision by CLIA and its members to voluntarily extend the suspension of operations,” it said in the No Sail Order. “CDC further supports the decisions of numerous cruise ship operators that have voluntarily canceled scheduled voyages involving US ports beyond the date specified by CLIA. However, because not all cruise ship operators subject to the No Sail Order are members of CLIA or have made similar commitments, CDC is extending its No Sail Order to continue to protect the public’s health by ensuring that passenger operations do not resume prematurely.”