Vice President Mike Pence led a conference call with top cruise industry executives and federal health officials on Oct. 9, an event some hope is a step toward resuming cruising in the U.S.
After the call, the Cruise Lines International Association released a statement that expressed tempered optimism that U.S. cruising may return this year.
"We appreciated the opportunity to engage with the administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss resumption of cruising in the U.S.," CLIA said. "We look forward to further discussions to support a gradual return to operations this year."
On the call with Pence were Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); former Utah Gov. and HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt of the Healthy Sail Panel that recommended ways to safely resume cruise operations; Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald; Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group; Thomas Malzoum, president, Disney Signature Experiences; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises.
Pence highlighted the shared goal of reopening the maritime economy, with a focus on cruise ships safely sailing again, according to a press statement Pence's office released after the call.
The Healthy Sail Panel sent its recommendations to the CDC in September.
Azar and Redfield "touched on their commitment to the collaborative effort that produced the Healthy Sail Panel's 74 recommendations, and the federal government's support of the industry to safely and responsibly sail again, but cautioned that the cruise industry would have to backstop their venture to resume operations," the statement said.
Leavitt emphasized that the industry is driven to produce real solutions and that the protocols need to be practical and prioritize safety.
The safety proposal will be presented to the coronavirus task force, which will provide a recommendation to President Donald J. Trump with regard to next steps on the CDC's no-sail order, currently set to expire Oct. 31, 2020.
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