USA: CDC lifts the No Sail Order: Protocols must be efficient

Cruises could start again soon in the US as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has replaced its “No Sail Order”, ie a de facto ban on cruises, with a “Conditional Sail Order” from November 1st. Cruises in the USA could therefore be gradually resumed under the terms of the CDC.

“The initial phases will consist of tests and additional safety precautions for the crew members,” writes the CDC on its website in a 40-page document. “The CDC will ensure that cruise line operators have adequate health and safety precautions for their crews and that the laboratory capacity is necessary to test future passengers,” it said.

According to the CDC, the shipping companies should go through several phases in order to be able to resume operations. The aim is to develop health protection measures. These phases include:

• the establishment of laboratory tests for the crew of cruise ships in US waters; 
• 15 simulated voyages to test shipping companies’ ability to contain Covid-19 on cruise lines; 
• a certification process;
• the resumption of cruise operations with passengers in a form that curbs the spread of Covid-19 on board.

Additional conditions include Covid-19 tests for all passengers at the start and end of the cruise and temperature measurements. In the event of a Covid case on board, the cruise must be canceled immediately and the ship concerned must return to the port of departure of the current voyage. 

The CDC issued a “No Sail Order” for the first time in mid-March and extended it in April, July and the end of September. The current regulation applies until October 31.

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