by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:02 PM ET, Mon December 14, 2020
Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain shared another video keeping travelers abreast of the latest news about the industry's eventual return to sailing.
According to Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President Vicki Freed's YouTube channel, Fain described the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and its continued impact on the cruise industry as a tunnel, with the new vaccines acting as the light at the end.
While Fain and the rest of the cruise industry was hopeful voyages could begin in the United States as soon as December, the rise in confirmed cases around the country has made that impossible.
The Royal Caribbean CEO also expressed the importance of the vaccines, saying they will be the key to a safe return to sailing, as well as a continued emphasis on the current health protocols put in place since the outbreak started.
As reported last week, Royal Caribbean was forced to cut a voyage from Singapore short after a passenger onboard initially tested positive for COVID-19, but it turned out to be a false positive upon retesting.
Fain spoke about how this "positive" test was a great chance to see the team react to an emergency:
"The false positive gave us a great real-world chance to test our procedures and they performed well," Fain said. "They demonstrated how effective good preparation and strong cooperation can be."
The hope from the cruise industry is that vaccines will help make the number of cases drop, leading to the eventual return of sailings. Fain believes demand will grow quickly, as new experiences will be the focus after travelers spent so much time in confinement.
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