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Clia working on Covid-19 policies to help cruise ships sail again

Cruise lines body Clia is working with cruise lines, official bodies and about 1,000 ports around the world to develop policies to help the industry resume operations.

One of the key bodies is the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which last week extended its ban on cruises in American waters until the end of September.

The previous ‘No Sail Order’ had been due to expire on July 24. However, Clia had already extended its voluntary suspension of sailings until September 15.

Adam Goldstein (pictured), Clia global chair, said in an update on Tuesday that the association wants new Covid-19 procedures to be added to Clia’s Compendium of Policies to help cruise lines with health and safety on ships.

Kelly Craighead, Clia president and chief executive, said cruise lines have been working with an “impressive” array of medical experts for months to develop protocols and learn about the implications of coronavirus.

Clia is also working with an estimated 1,000 ports about embarking and disembarking passengers, as well as studying the medical capabilities and other key considerations in destinations around the world.

Goldstein said Clia had to be “understanding” about the “extraordinary challenges” facing CDC, which is dealing with many issues beyond cruising.

“Our challenge is to work with regulators to find the right conditions for the restart,” he said, adding that “lamenting things” or being frustrated would not be helpful.

Craighead acknowledged there is frustration among cruise passengers who have been vocal in their support for the industry, especially when sectors such as aviation and hospitality have been able to resume operations.

She said it was helpful to have such passionate supporters who talk about their experiences on cruise ships.

Goldstein said cruise lines are “resilient enterprises” that have shown a “huge amount of financial dexterity” to improve their positions, so there are “lots of reasons to believe we can be successful in the future”.

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