Cruise lines are gearing up to begin sailing again.

The Healthy Sail Panel, created in June 2020 by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group brought top medical and scientific experts to address safe sailing protocols during Covid-19. The panel made recommendations to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

In September CDC Director, Dr. Robert Refield pushed to extend the NO SAIL ORDER of cruise ships departing from the US until February 2021. However, after meeting with the Healthy Sail Panel, Vice President Mike Pence overruled Redfield with a plan to shorten the ban until October 31, 2020.

October 30th the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order that introduces a phased approach for the safe and responsible resumption of passenger cruises. During the initial phases, cruise ship operators must demonstrate adherence to testing, quarantine and isolation, and social distancing requirements to protect crew members while they build the laboratory capacity needed to test crew and future passengers. Subsequent phases will include simulated (mock) voyages with volunteers playing the role of passengers to test cruise ship operators’ ability to mitigate COVID-19 risk, certification for ships that meet specific requirements, and return to passenger voyages in a manner that mitigates COVID-19 risk among passengers, crew members, and communities.