Federal U.S. health officials are lifting their ban on cruise sailings in U.S. waters Saturday, allowing the industry to prepare to restart voyages amid a surge in coronavirus cases around the world.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to let its “no sail” order expire on Saturday, after imposing the ban amid Covid-19 outbreaks on dozens of cruise ships in the spring.
The regulator’s conditional order presents cruise operators’ the opportunity to generate revenue after they reported billions of dollars in losses this year when the pandemic put brakes on the tourism industry.
The U.S. has set new records for positive coronavirus cases this week and governments around the world are deciding how to manage their economies and the pathogen. On Thursday, Canada extended its sailing ban through the end of February for overnight cruises carrying more than 100 people.
Large operators Carnival Corp. , Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. have scrapped their U.S. sailings through the end of November. Royal Caribbean on Thursday posted a quarterly loss of more than $1.3 billion as revenue turned negative.
