Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are keeping all options open to restart the cruise industry in Florida, and are discussing legal strategies, said the Governor, speaking at Port Canaveral during a roundtable discussion on Friday.
“The Attorney General and I have been discussing what potential options we have on the legal side,” he said.
“Let’s appeal to the CDC and let’s try to get the guidance without having to go down that road,” he said. “Obviously at some point, we need a way forward.”
DeSantis noted a strong effort in 2020 to lift the CDC’s No Sail Order, and admitted he thought they had a plan in place to have it lifted by the end of the year.
“The previous administration was supportive of doing it, but the CDC was not. I think what we’ve seen is a continuation of that,” said DeSantis.
“If you keep this No Sail Order in place, Americans are still going to be taking cruises, they are just going to be taking them from the Bahamas or Bermuda,” he added.
Clia has urged the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its framework for conditional sailing order (CSO) and allow the sector to plan for a phased resumption of cruise operations from US ports by the start of July.
“These voyages were successfully completed with industry-leading protocols that effectively mitigated the spread of Covid-19,” said Craighead, who noted plans for further sailings in the Mediterranean and Caribbean during spring and into summer. Craighead said the CDC order no longer reflected operational realities thanks to a combination of an accelerated vaccination programme and better Covid mitigations and protocols. “The cruise industry has adopted a high bar for resumption around the world with a multi-layered set of policies intended to be revised as conditions change,” said Craighead. “Our members continue to follow this multi-layered approach to enhancing health and safety that has proven effective, making cruising one of the best and most adaptable choices.”
The association said this would dovetail with President Biden’s forecast for when living in the US would be “closer to normal”; president and chief executive Kelly Craighead said the “highly-controlled” resumption of cruising in Europe, Asia and the South Pacific had proved it was possible.
In a sign a U.S. restart to cruising may be inching closer, Carnival Cruise Line has revealed a number of COVID-19 regulations, with guests now required to wear face masks on company ships.
COVID-19 Policy Highlights:
Face Masks
All guests over the age of two will be required to wear a mask when indoors except when inside their own stateroom while eating and drinking seated at a table and when using the cardio equipment at the gym and physical distancing is maintained, the company said.
Guests are required to wear a mask outdoors when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
Carnival noted that masks should have two or more layers and be worn over the nose and mouth. Gaiters and bandanas are not allowed, and face shields are permitted when used with a mask These requirements apply during all aspects of the cruise, including embarkation, shore excursions and disembarkation. A limited supply of masks will be available in staterooms after boarding.
Negative Test Required
Every guest 2 years of age or older, joining a ship, regardless of method of travel to the ship, is required to take a SARS-CoV-2 test between 5 days to 24 hours prior to the date of embarkation and must receive a negative result.
Carnival said it may perform additional testing at the terminal or on board the vessel
Shore Ex
Guests will not be permitted off the ship on their own.
Carnival said that during the initial return to sailing, guests will only be allowed to participate in excursions or activities executed and escorted by vetted tour operators who maintain Carnival’s level of COVID-19 controls. Shoreside visits may be also limited to port areas that have no public access. Self-exploration or non-Carnival sponsored excursions will not be permitted.
Carnival did note it may offer indoor excursions only if physical distancing, use of masks, and other recommended protective measures can be implemented.
We will have pre-arranged transportation from the ship to the venue and back again. Guests will be able to pre-purchase shore excursions through Carnival.com, the Carnival HUB app or onboard, subject to availability and capacity restrictions. All guests will have to comply with physical distancing, mask-wearing and all other COVID-19 related requirements.
Throughout the duration of the shore excursion, guests will be asked to remain with their cruise companions. There may be additional restrictions during shore excursions depending on local conditions.
Any non-compliance by the guest or members of guest’s travelling party with Carnival COVID-19 Policies and Procedures shall be grounds for a refusal to re-board after going ashore, or other steps deemed necessary in Carnival’s sole discretion to protect the health and safety of others. If a guest is denied boarding or disembarked due to failure to comply, they will not be entitled to a refund, credit, or compensation of any kind. Guests will be responsible for all costs and fines, including without limitation travel expenses.
Contact Tracing
Carnival said that all guests may be required to provide identifying information and information about certain activities engaged in during the cruise so Carnival can perform contact tracing in the event any person onboard is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. Various location tracking technologies may be used to assist in the collection of contact tracing information such as wearables, video surveillance, transaction data, and photographs taken during the cruise.
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