Cruise Lines Can Sail Again From The U.S., But It's Not Clear How Soon
The federal government has given the go-ahead for cruise ships to sail from ports in the United States. Officials stopped cruise lines in March as the coronavirus pandemic ramped up.
Cruise lines may begin sailing again from U.S. ports under rules released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency is allowing a "No Sail" order to expire at midnight Saturday.
In its place, the agency issued, signed by CDC Director Robert Redfield, a "Framework for Conditional Sailing." It requires cruise lines to build labs to test all crew members and passengers for the coronavirus. After taking other steps to safeguard passengers and crew, the CDC will then give cruise lines permission to conduct "simulated voyages" to show they can minimize the risk of COVID-19.
