Coronavirus

Cruise Lines Pull the Plug on Ocean Travel for the Next 30 Days as Coronavirus Pandemic Devastates Tourism

The territory's fragile tourism industry took a major hit on Friday as the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced its major ocean-going cruise lines are suspending operations from U.S. ports of call for 30 days in response to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).  The major cruise lines temporarily halting operations so far include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC -- all of whom called on the Virgin Islands with weekly stops at the WICO and Crown Bay docks on St. Thomas.  In March and April, alone, a total of 92 ship calls with a capacity of more than 275,000 passengers were scheduled to pass through St. Thomas, with an occasional ship calling on St. Croix. Department of Health Officials — several hours after a brief conference held by Governor Bryan to announce his administration's effort to combat the pathogen — announced that the first case of coronavirus had been confirmed. The Consortium later learned that the case is on St. Croix, but no specific ...