The Cruise Industry Gets Hit with Bad News

Those looking to go on a cruise soon will have to delay their plans a little longer as the CDC has extended a ban on cruising through October.

The extension came after the White House reportedly overruled a longer extension that could have gone until next February.

On Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its ban on passenger cruising from U.S. ports through Oct. 31.

Director Dr. Robert Redfield had pushed to extend the order until February 2021, according to Axios, which cited two people familiar with the matter.

According to Axios, Vice President Mike Pence overruled Redfield and that the plan is to extend the ban until Oct. 31.

Between March 1 and Sep. 29, at least 3,689 probable cases of Covid-19 were reported on cruise ships in U.S. waters, the CDC said in a statement. The agency said tht at least 41 Covid-19 deaths have occurred on cruise ships and that “these numbers are likely incomplete and an underestimate.”

“Recent outbreaks on cruise ships overseas provide current evidence that cruise ship travel continues to transmit and amplify the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,—even when ships sail at reduced passenger capacities—and would likely spread the infection into U.S. communities if passenger operations were to resume prematurely in the United States,” the CDC said when announcing the extension.

Major cruise companies like Royal Caribbean, Carnival Corp and Norwegian Cruise Line had all seen their shares battered this year due to the pandemic.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.