U.S. Politicians Push CDC to Reinstate ‘No Sail’ Order

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In what could be a dramatic twist in the cruise industry’s restart, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Doris Matsui have sent a letter to Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), urging the agency to reissue the “No Sail” order for the cruise industry.

“We write with urgent concern surrounding recent reports of multiple confirmed positive COVID-19 cases onboard the first cruise ship to carry passengers in the Caribbean since countries around the world imposed strict limitations on operations in mid-March. In light of these disturbing reports, we feel strongly that you should reverse course on the recent decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to take a phased approach to restarting cruise line operations in the United States. Instead, we implore you to extend the prior no-sail order until a time when the health and safety of passengers and crew can be assured,” they said, in the letter, noting SeaDream’s recent challenges.

“Unfortunately, this troubling development is not surprising and reaffirms the need to exercise extreme caution before sending passengers and crew back out to sea on cruises,” they said, in the letter, calling cruise ships “breeding grounds for the virus at the epicenter of the initial COVID-19 outbreak.”

The Senator and Congresswoman asked for a reply by Nov. 27.

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