CDC Announces Modifications and Extension of No Sail Order for All Cruise Ships

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced the extension of a No Sail Order for all cruise ships for at least 100 days or until COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency.

This extension is the result of the CDC ruling that passengers or crew arriving in the United States from a cruise ship can no longer board commercial flights.

"We are working with the cruise line industry to address the health and safety of crew at sea as well as communities surrounding U.S. cruise ship points of entry," said CDC Director Robert Redfield. "The measures we are taking today to stop the spread of COVID-19 are necessary to protect Americans, and we will continue to provide critical public health guidance to the industry to limit the impacts of COVID-19 on its workforce throughout the remainder of this pandemic."

According to CDC, in recent weeks, at least 10 cruise ships reported crew or passengers that tested positive or experienced respiratory symptoms or influenza-like illness. Currently, there are approximately 100 cruise ships remaining at sea off the East Coast, West Coast and Gulf Coast, with nearly 80,000 crew onboard. Additionally, CDC is aware of 20 cruise ships at port or anchorage in the United States with known or suspected COVID-19 infection among the crew who remain on board.

CDC, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security have been working with the industry to determine the most appropriate public health strategy to limit the impact of COVID-19 at cruise ship ports of entry in the United States. Cruise Lines International Association voluntarily suspended cruise ship operations last month, in conjunction with the earlier No Sail Order issued March 14, 2020. CDC notes the industry has since been working to build an illness response framework to combat COVID-19 on ships with international crew members who remain on board and at sea.

This order ceases operations of cruise ships in waters in which the U.S. may exert jurisdiction and requires that they develop a comprehensive, detailed operational plan approved by CDC and the U.S. Coast Guard to address the COVID-19 pandemic through maritime focused solutions—including a fully implementable response plan with limited reliance on state, local and federal government support. CDC says these plans would help prevent, mitigate and respond to the spread of COVID-19 through:

• Monitoring of passengers and crew medical screening.
• Training crew on COVID-19 prevention.
• Managing and responding to an outbreak on board.
• Submission of a plan to USCG and CDC for review.

CDC says the order shall continue in operation until the earliest of three situations:

1. The expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services' declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency.
2. The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations.
3. One hundred days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

Additional information in the order includes:

• Cruise ship operators are not allowed to disembark travelers (passengers or crew) at ports or stations, except as directed by the USCG, in consultation with HHS/CDC personnel, and as appropriate, as coordinated with federal, state, and local authorities.
• Cruise ship operators should not embark or re-embark any crew member, except as approved by the USCG, in consultation with HHS/CDC personnel, until further notice.
• While in port, cruise ship operators shall observe health precautions directed by HHS/CDC personnel.
• The cruise ship operator should comply with all HHS/CDC, USCG, and other federal agency instructions to follow CDC recommendations and guidance for any public health actions relating to passengers, crew, ship, or any article or thing on board the ship, as needed, including by making ship's manifests and logs available and collecting any specimens for COVID-19 testing.

For more information about COVID-19 and cruise ships, please visit CDC and view the No Sail Order here.

Courtesy of Groups Today.