Clia has given a guarded welcome to the lifting of America’s No Sail Order, which allows cruises to resume in US waters from Sunday but with no timeframe for the return of paying passengers.
On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new “Framework for Conditional Sailing Order” which allows test sailings to demonstrate the effectiveness of Covid-19 prevention measures and compliance with CDC measures.
In a statement, Clia said it “looked forward to reviewing the order in greater detail” and working with the CDC “to resume sailing in a responsible manner that keeps public health in the forefront”.
It also reiterated the economic impact of the ongoing suspension of cruises, saying that “hundreds of thousands of jobs were at stake”, and said it believed the recommendations provided by the Healthy Sail Panel – a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and NCL – would “serve as an important foundation”.
More:Royal Caribbean moving towards ‘a healthy return’
The association said: “Guided by the recommendations of leading experts in health and science, including the Healthy Sail Panel, our members are 100% committed to helping to protect the health of our guests, our crew and the communities we serve, and are prepared to implement multiple layers of protocols informed by the latest scientific and medical knowledge.
“We will continue to evolve our approach as circumstances evolve. The economic consequences of the ongoing suspension of service are felt in communities across the United States and with hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake, we are committed to resume sailing in a responsible manner that keeps public health in the forefront.
“We look forward to reviewing the order in greater detail and working with the CDC to advance a return to cruising from US ports.”
Clia president Kelly Craighead added: “While we look forward to reviewing the new order in detail, we expect much of the Healthy Sail Panel’s recommendations, which were adopted by Clia’s global board of directors earlier this month, have been considered and will serve as an important foundation.
“The cruise industry and the CDC have a long track record of working together in the interest of public health, and we look forward to continuing to build upon this legacy to support the resumption of cruising from US ports.
“With enhanced measures in place, and with the continued guidance of leading experts in health and science as well as the CDC, we are confident that a resumption of cruising in the US is possible to support the economic recovery while maintaining a focus on effective and science-based measures to protect public health.”