Mayor of Miami on coronavirus, shipping industry
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain on Monday expressed optimism that cruise lines could resume this summer, more than a year after the industry effectively closed in the coronavirus pandemic.
In a video message, Fain noted that “pace of progress has accelerated” for a restart in the industry due to the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, improved testing and contract tracking. The CEO of Royal Caribbean also cites progress in talks with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials, who indicated earlier this month that resumes could resume by mid-summer on a limited basis.
“We agree with the assessment and are more optimistic than ever before that a realistic path forward can be achieved in that time frame,” Fain said. “It will make a summer season possible in Alaska and elsewhere.”
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The CDC issued a “no sail order” for U.S. sail lines last March amid concerns it could exacerbate the spread of COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic. The agency has issued a conditional farewell order allowing sailing to resume in October last year, but only if operators follow a strict safety process.
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Cruise operators and Republican lawmakers have been under pressure from the CDC in recent weeks to lift restrictions.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and Dan Sullivan introduced legislation earlier this month that overturned the CDC’s ban and resumed shipping by July. In a separate action, the state of Florida sued the CDC in an effort to end the ban on sailing.
Fain noted that the final decision on when to resume sailing will rest with the CDC. He noted that Biden’s government “seems ready to engage in a dialogue that could lead to a constructive outcome.” More than thirty countries have allowed shipping to resume since the initial shutdown related to pandemic.
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The Royal Caribbean CEO added that public support for the cruise industry ‘has shown that there is a strong desire to see sailing being treated like so many other businesses and allowed to operate under safe guidelines.’