Tag Archives: CDC

CDC extends No Sail Order for the U.S. cruising through Sept. 30

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Coronavirus hospital data will now be sent to Trump administration ...

By Johanna Jainchill

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended the No Sail Order for cruise ships from U.S. ports through Sept. 30.

The previous No Sail Order was set to expire on July 24. The extension can be cut short only if the secretary of Health and Human Services declares that Covid-19 is no longer a public health emergency or the CDC director rescinds or modifies the order.

CLIA member lines had already decided last month to voluntarily suspend operations until at least Sept. 15, saying that it was “increasingly clear that more time will be needed to resolve barriers to a resumption in the United States.”

The CDC reported July 16 that from March 1 to July 10, there were 99 outbreaks on 123 cruise ships, with a total of 2,973 cases of Covid-19 or Covid-like illness on cruise ships and 34 deaths. The CDC said that 80% of ships within U.S. jurisdiction were affected by Covid-19 during this time frame and that nine ships have ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks.

“The challenges described in this document highlight the need for further action prior to cruise ships’ resuming passenger operations,” the CDC said, adding that it supports CLIA’s decision to voluntarily extend the suspension of operations. “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 ensure that passenger operations do not resume prematurely.”

The CDC also reported that as of July 10 it has “expended an estimated 38,000 person-hours on the cruise ship Covid-19 response since March 14” and that “CDC continues to have regular conversations by phone and email with cruise lines, often daily.”

The order applies to the operation of vessels with the capacity to carry 250 individuals or more, which excludes many small-ship ocean and river operators, some of which plan to resume service this summer.

In response to the order, CLIA said that the association and its member lines “remain aligned with the CDC in our commitment to public health and safety. We are also pleased that the CDC has announced its intention to issue a request for information about the industry’s resumption of passenger operations. As we continue to work towards the development of enhanced protocols to support the safe resumption of cruise operations around the world, we look forward to a timely and productive dialogue with the CDC to determine measures that will be appropriate for ocean-going cruise operations to resume in the United States when the time is right.”

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian to Partner on Health Protocols

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RCL and NCL Logos

Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced a collaboration to “develop enhanced cruise health and safety standards in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a press release.

The companies have asked Governor Mike Leavitt and Dr Scott Gottlieb to serve as co-chairs of a newly formed group of experts called the “Healthy Sail Panel.”

The panel is tasked with collaboratively developing recommendations for cruise lines to advance their public health response to COVID-19, improve safety, and achieve readiness for the safe resumption of operations, according to a press release.

The expert panel has been working for nearly a month and will offer its initial recommendations by the end of August.

The cruise lines said its work will be “open source,” and could be freely adopted by any company or industry that would benefit from the group’s scientific and medical insights.

“This unprecedented disease requires us to develop unprecedented standards in health and safety,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “Bringing aboard these respected experts to guide us forward demonstrates our commitment to protecting our guests, our crews and the communities we visit.”

“We compete for the vacationing consumer’s business every day, but we never compete on health and safety standards,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “While the cruise industry has always had rigorous health standards, the unique challenges posed by COVID-19 provide an opportunity to raise the bar even higher.”

Fain and Del Rio said they initiated the panel to assure the plans they will submit to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other regulators apply the best available public health, science and engineering insights. The work of the panel will be shared with the entire industry and regulators.

“In convening the Healthy Sail Panel, we sought the participation of a diverse group of leading experts in areas of science and public health that are directly relevant to the considerations listed by the No Sail Order,” said Governor Leavitt. “We view our work as a profoundly important public health effort. The health and safety of passengers, crew, and the communities that cruise ships visit will be the principal focus of this project.”

Dr Gottlieb said, “We know that the public health issues that must be addressed are complex, and in some areas, tackling them will require novel approaches. Our goal in assembling this team of leading experts was to develop best practices that can improve safety and provide a roadmap for reducing the risks of COVID-19.”

The panel is co-chaired by Governor Leavitt, former Secretary of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services (HHS), and Dr Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The panel’s members are globally recognized experts from various disciplines, including public health, infectious disease, biosecurity, hospitality and maritime operations.

 

Healthy Sail Panel Hopes to Have Plan By August 31 for Royal and Norwegian

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Norwegian and Royal Caribbean Ships in Nassau

The Healthy Sail Panel created by Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings hopes to have its initial recommendations back to each company by the end of August, according to Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support and service, Royal Caribbean International.

Suggestions will then be vetted by each company and presented to the CDC.

Working together with a rival cruise corporation, Freed said: “When it comes to safety and security, there is no competition. We need to work collaboratively as a team, as an industry.”

The 11-person panel is already hard at work and is looking at everything from a reduced capacity to staggered embarkation.

Of note, Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president of sales and trade support and service, Celebrity Cruises, said the CDC has been invited to participate in an observatory role.

Added Carol Cabezas, vice president and COO, Azamara: “The work of the panel will be open-sourced … available to anyone that needs it at no cost.”

She added the panel’s work may be helpful to land-based entities from spas to hotels and restaurants.

“We have to think about the destinations as well, we are working very closely with governments and ports we visit all over the globe to establish plans and protocols for the safe resumption of cruising,” said Cabezas, adding that extends to tour operator partners to make sure a safe experience continues from ship to shore.

“The goal is to create an environment that mitigates risk to the greatest extent possible while the virus is (still) a threat.”