The Center for Disease Control and Prevention extended ‘no-sail’ orders until September 30 for the United States. The previous ban on ships with more than 250 people was set to expire on July 24. It’s an enormous, but not unexpected blow to a business that’s estimated to be worth $150 billion worldwide. The cruise sector is also the backbone to countless port towns around the United States, as local businesses have become dependent on a continual flow of thousands of tourists to sell a wide range of goods, meals and services. In making its announcement, the CDC wrote that nearly 3,000 cases of Covid-19 illnesses had been documented on cruise ships and that they led to 34 deaths. These came from 99 outbreaks on 123 cruise ships, nine of which are still dealing with the problem to this day. The numbers don’t include the Diamond Princess, on which 700 people were infected. “Although we had hoped that cruise activity in the U.S. could resume as soon as possible after that date, it is increasingly clear that more time will be needed to resolve barriers to resumption in the United States,” Bari Golin-Blaugrund, senior director for strategic communications, told USA Today.
