President Donald Trump tweeted on Friday that four major cruise ship companies have agreed to suspend trips from the U.S. for 30 days, effective at midnight.
Trump said that Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC Cruises all agreed to the suspensions. He said the cruise line industry is a ‘great and important industry – it will be kept that way!’
The U.S. State Department advised Sunday against any travel on cruise ships, particularly for those with underlying health conditions. The advisory said the CDC has noted an ‘increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment.’
‘We want to work with the cruise line industry to ensure that when we come through this, that cruise lines and the medical services that are available for the passengers and all of the crew that cruise lines are safer than ever before and can prosper for years to come,’ Vice President Mike Pence said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said four cruise line companies had agreed to suspend outbound cruises for 30 days, at his request, amid the global pandemic
Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival and MSC Cruises are all suspending their voyages until April
The cruise industry has taken a beating in the stock market since the coronavirus began to spread, and reports of people falling ill and being quarantined on ships surfaced.
Carnival had already suspended its Princess line of cruises for nearly two months. It said 18 ships that had cruises scheduled between March 12 and May 10 would be canceled.
There are now 2,299 cases of coronavirus in the US and 50 people have died
Royal Caribbean announced the ‘voluntary’ suspension earlier Friday, saying it would reach out to people who had already booked cruises.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, said it was suspending all cruise voyages embarking between March 13 and April 11.
The Grand Princess cruise ship is shown docked at the Port of Oakland, Thursday. 21 people who tested positive for coronavirus while aboard
MSC said it was canceling all its Caribbean cruises from Miami from March 14 through April 30.
Cruise industry leaders met over the weekend with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vice President Mike Pence and were asked to devise and fund ways to transport any passengers found to carry the virus.
Cruise line heads agreed to enhance entry and exit screenings and establish shipboard testing, along with new quarantine standards. Some of the new protocols were expected to start taking effect early this week.
‘With the COVID-19 coronavirus impacting communities around the globe, we have enacted a voluntary temporary suspension of cruise voyages across our brands effective immediately,’ Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian, said in a statement.
Voyages currently underway will conclude ‘as soon as possible,’ the company said, adding that it will assist customers with travel arrangements.
Customers whose trips are affected can choose to receive either a 125% refund in the form a future cruise credit or a 100% cash refund.
‘We understand the gravity of the public health crisis confronting the country,’ Royal Caribbean said in a statement. ‘And this is our part to play.’
California California Governor Gavin Newsom says nearly 500 passengers remain aboard the cruise ship. In addition to the 21 people who previously tested positive while aboard, Newsom says at least two more people have tested positive after leaving
On Friday, shares of Carnival Corp. and Norwegian Cruise Lines posted double-digit gains.
Still, Carnival’s shares lost more than half their value and Norwegian shares a third of theirs over the course of the week. Their losses for the year to date are even steeper.
The cruise industry provided 1.2 million jobs and paid $50.24 billion in wages and salaries in 2018, providing an estimated $150 billion in global economic impact, according to Cruise Lines International Association, a Washington-based group that represents more than 95% of global cruise capacity.
There are now 2,299 cases of coronavirus in the US and 50 people have died