| CLIA says no to CSO

CRUISE Lines International Association (CLIA) is calling for the United States’ Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to lift its framework for conditional sailing order (CSO).

Citing the hundreds of thousands of passengers sailing outside of the United States, CLIA called the CSO “outdated”, saying it does not reflect the COVID-19 pandemic’s current conditions, nor the effectiveness of “science-led protocols” supporting the cruise restarts implemented in other countries.

CLIA is also calling for a phased resumption of cruise operations from American ports by the beginning of Jul, a timeframe which is in line with President Joe Biden’s forecast for when the United States will be “closer to normal.”

“Over the past eight months, a highly-controlled resumption of cruising has continued in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific, with nearly 400,000 passengers sailing to date in more than 10 major cruise markets,” said CLIA President & Chief Executive Officer Kelly Craighead.

“These voyages were successfully completed with industry-leading protocols that have effectively mitigated the spread of COVID-19.”

The call for a decision on American cruises resuming was echoed by the American Society of Travel Advisors, with Chief Executive Officer Zane Kerby urging the Biden Administration to “set 01 Jul as the date that cruising can resume from US ports”.

Kerby said as the pandemic subsides almost every other form of human activity had been cleared for resumption with appropriate protocols “but inexplicably, the CDC keeps cruising suspended”.