Safety plan created: US cruise lines want no-sail order to be lifted
There’s
currently a no-sail order in place, but major cruise lines in the US have put
together a safety plan in case they are allowed to go to sea in the near
future.
Should sailing resume, the Cruise Lines International Association says its members will require all passengers and crew to be tested for COVID-19 before being allowed to board. Everyone on board would be required to wear a mask, and they would try to ensure there is physical distancing where possible. The plan also requires ships to increase fresh air onboard and use advanced filtration methods where feasible.
The association
intends to bring this plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), which currently has a no-sail order for US waters through September 30.
They hope that the CDC will use the safety plan to help decide whether to lift
the no-sail order that has been extended twice since March.
While they
hope the no-sail order will be lifted, Arnold Donald, the president and CEO of
Carnival Corp., said that it would take cruise ships at least a month to prepare
for sea once the CDC lifts the order.
