Blumenthal & Matsui Call On CDC to Reinstate No-Sail Order for Cruise Ships After Positive COVID-19 Cases Were Reported on Board First Ship to Set Sail in Caribbean Since March

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA) sent a letter to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calling on the agency to reinstate the no-sail order for cruise ships and reverse course on recent efforts to restart cruise line operations after multiple positive COVID-19 cases were reported aboard the first cruise ship to set sail in the Caribbean since 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,” wrote the Members of Congress to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield. “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.”

On Wednesday, Norwegian-based cruise line company SeaDream Yacht Club announced that a passenger on board one of its ships in the Caribbean had preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19, even with all passengers undergoing rigorous testing before setting sail. On Thursday, more cases were confirmed, with at least five people testing positive.

“Despite these efforts and good intentions, the virus was still able to infect multiple people on the ship, with the possibility of more confirmed cases emerging as passengers and crew are retested,” the letter continued. “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.”

The CDC lifted the no-sail order for cruise ships on October 31 and set out a phased approach to restarting operations. According to a USA TODAY report, the CDC had requested the no-sail order to be extended until February 15, 2021, but moved up the date after pressure from the White House Task Force.

The letter emphasized that the risks are especially high given current skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, writing: “[I]t is unconscionable for the CDC to move forward on a plan to resume operations given the ongoing risks. While we appreciate the difficult economic situation cruise line operators face and the desire of many cruising enthusiasts to restore a sense of normalcy, the CDC must always put health and safety first to prevent further spread of this deadly virus and save lives.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

Blumenthal and Matsui are lead sponsors of the Cruise Passenger Protection Act in Congress. The bill would build on the passenger safety measures signed into law in the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA). Among other provisions, the legislation would strengthen a number of critical medical standards aboard cruise ships, including ensuring the presence of a physician to treat any passenger in the event of an emergency, the appropriate number of qualified medical staff to treat the number of passengers on board, and that the passengers are aware of the location of the vessel’s medical facilities and the appropriate steps they should follow during a medical emergency.

This bicameral, bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) in the Senate and U.S. Representatives Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and John Garamendi (D-CA) in the House. The text of the legislation is available here.

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