The cruise ship ban looks as though it will be extended but just for one month.
According to a report in Axios, CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield was overruled on extending the “no-sail order” into 2021. The order will extend through the month of October, according to the report.
Redfield argued that the severity of the coronavirus and the vulnerability of cruise ships meant it would be appropriate to extend the no-sail order through February of 2021 but he was overruled by the White House.
The October 31 date matches the cruise industry’s self-imposed ban and gives the industry time to put all necessary protocols in place.
A White House official told Axios that cruise industry representatives will meet with members of the Trump Administration to discuss plans to resume operations safely.
“And in that meeting, there will be a discussion and afterward a decision will need to be made about whether the order needs to be extended,” the White House official said. “These things can be extended for a month and then we can reassess the conditions on an ongoing basis.”
