CDC announces a plan for cruise ships to operate again

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – This week the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced a comprehensive plan that would allow cruise ships to start sailing again.

With the “no-sail” order that has expired as of October 31st, cruise ship companies are eager to get back into the water.

Subsequent phases for the cruise industry to begin operating will be:

Simulated voyages to test cruise ship operators’ ability to mitigate COVID-19 risk.
Certification for ships that meet specific requirements.
The final step would be a phased return to cruise ship passenger voyages.

Statistics from the Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale released in 2018 said that the cruise industry for Fort Lauderdale contributed $67 million in state and local taxes, $172.8 million in local wages and $180.3 million in local purchases.

The CDC did not specify a timeline of when it would institute its framework for conditional sailing.