KEY POINTS

  • The rise in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has prompted the CDC to extend its no-sail order until September 30
  • The initial order was first mandated on April 9 and was scheduled to expire on July 24
  • The extension came after the US saw 60,000 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is extending the United States' ban on cruise ships until the end of September after the country is plagued by a spike of COVID-19 cases.

The agency announced Thursday, July 16, that it will extend its no-sail mandate until September 30. The initial order, which was first implemented on April 9, is scheduled to expire on July 24, said the Associated Press.

However, the CDC decided to stretch it as the country saw a staggering 60,000 new cases of the virus Wednesday – the biggest increase ever reported by a country in a single day, according to Telegraph.

The 'Caribbean Princess' cruise ship in Colon, Panama, on May 28, 2020: such vessels will be banned from Canadian waters until October because of the coronavirus pandemic
The 'Caribbean Princess' cruise ship in Colon, Panama, on May 28, 2020: such vessels will be banned from Canadian waters until October because of the coronavirus pandemic AFP / Ivan PISARENKO

Aside from the surge in COVID-19 cases, the outlet added that for the second day in a row, the US saw its death toll rose to more than 900 in a single day. The country now has a reported 3,051,427 confirmed cases of the virus, including 132,256 deaths.

The CDC said that cruise ships had nearly 3,000 cases of COVID-19 or “similar cases” and 34 deaths from March 1 through July 10. It added that there have been 99 outbreaks covering 80% of the ships in U.S. waters, while nine ships within the jurisdiction of the country are still dealing with outbreaks onboard.

The new no-sail order will apply to cruise ships that can carry 250 or more passengers and crew and can only be “withdrawn or altered” by the public agency's director, or America's Secretary of Health and Human Services should they consider that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, said Telegraph in a separate article.

Members of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) cooperated with the CDC and had canceled its operations until September 15.

“CLIA and its member lines remain aligned with the CDC in our commitment to public health and safety,” said the group in a statement, according to NBC News, adding the trade group's hopes that safety protocols would eventually lead to the “safe resumption of cruise operations around the world.”

“We look forward to a timely and productive dialogue with the CDC to determine measures that will be appropriate for ocean-going cruise operations to resume in the United States when the time is right,” read the statement.

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