0
Pressure from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and others have not been enough to persuade the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its conditional sail order and allow cruising to recommence as early as July 1.
The CDC's current conditional sail order lists a myriad of requirements that cruise companies must meet before the industry is allowed to restart, among them limited passenger capacity. But the cruise industry has been arguing that the order is outdated as vaccinations are becoming widely available — an argument that suggests the industry will make Covid-19 inoculation mandatory for all cruise passengers moving forward.
CDC spokesperson Caitlin Shockey confirmed the agency's decision in a statement to the media. “On October 30, 2020, CDC issued Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) that remains in effect until November 1, 2021,” she said. “Returning to passenger cruising is a phased approach to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Details for the next phase of the CSO are currently under interagency review.”
Mr. DeSantis, the Florida governor, at a press conference on Friday was blunt in what he said was the CDC's callous order which continued to damage Florida's economy; the state has the largest cruise port in the U.S. (Port of Miami).
“I urge the CDC to immediately rescind this baseless no-sail order to allow Floridians in this industry to get back to work,” he said.
The CDC's stance to uphold its current order also affects the return of cruise lines back to the USVI. Governor Albert Bryan said last week said he joined other governors demanding that the CDC revisit its decision and allow cruising to recommence, efforts proving to be fruitless so far.
