In light of the increased cases the US has to deal with, it is reported that the US is discussing about ways to discourage US travellers from taking cruises, as part of Trump’s administration efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Spefically, Reuters, citing four anonymous sources, reported that although there is no decision made yet, a meeting was conducted between Vice President Mike Pence, who is in charge of leading the US response to the coronavirus, and the cruise industry.
The latest updates confirm a rise of the infected countries, with China remaining the first with the most infected, and Italy following second. As of today, March 9, the overall confirmed cases exceed the 110,000, while the death toll is up to 3,800.
Therefore, the US administration is considering of advising US citizens to temporarily avoid cruises or implement travel restrictions to related cruises. Mike Pence commented that cruise ships are a great danger for the health of the people, with Diamond Princess being an example of how the COVID-19 can rapidly spread.
It is added that the cruise sector has been impacted from the virus, as shares in Royal Caribbean Cruises, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings have fallen around 50% since January, while shares of cruise operators in U.S. trading turned negative; Carnival Corp (CCL.N) and Royal Caribbean (RCL.N) shares dropped nearly 2% and Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH.N) stock was down nearly 1%.
To better prepare for the situation, US President Donald Trump signed a bill on Friday allocating $8.3 billion to bolster the country’s capacity to test for the new coronavirus and fund other measures to stem an outbreak.
Following, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) recently updated its measures against the disease, with updated changes, in collaboration with the cruise industry. In the meantime, the US is thinking of a temporary halt on cruises given that many cruise lines are reported to travel with far less than maximum capacity.
Concluding, US officials discussed the matter on Friday, March 6, commenting that the ships are “huge incubators” with the elderly being the most vulnerable.
