by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:11 AM ET, Thu September 17, 2020
Two United States senators introduced a new act establishing a task force to address the changes needed to allow cruise lines to resume operations.
According to an official statement, Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio introduced the Set Sail Safely Act on Wednesday in coordination with a Private Sector Advisory Committee to establish a Maritime Task Force.
With cruise lines currently under a No Sail Order established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) until September 30, the Set Sail Safely Act has been developed to help prepare for the industry's inevitable return.
"Florida is a tourism state with thousands of jobs relying on the success of our ports, cruise lines and maritime industries," Senator Scott said. "Over the past few months, I've had many conversations with leaders at Florida ports, federal agencies, and within the cruise industry about how to ensure the safety of passengers and employees."
"As we work to solve the coronavirus and safely reopen our economy, this legislation will support the development of guidelines needed to ensure the safe resumption of our cruise lines and port operations," Scott continued.
The task force was established to bring government agencies together to develop a plan for the safe resumption of cruise operations and create a timeline for the implementation of the health and safety recommendations.
The Maritime Task Force would include representatives from several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, Department of State and the Federal Maritime Commission.
"On behalf of the wider cruise community, including nearly 44,000 American travel advisors and hundreds of small and medium sized businesses in the U.S. that provide products and services to cruise lines, CLIA joins our port partners in thanking Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio for their leadership in introducing this important legislation," Cruise Lines International Association Global Chair Adam Goldstein said.
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