No Return to Cruise Vacations Yet — Feds Extend Ban Through September

It’s hard to know how many people would feel comfortable getting on a cruise ship right now because of the coronavirus outbreaks that have taken place on them, but even if there are a lot of them out there, it won’t be happening for at least another couple of months, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcing yesterday (July 16th) that it’s extending a no-sail order for cruise ships through the end of September. It had been set to expire on July 24th. The CDC said that the cruise industry hasn’t controlled transmission of the virus on its ships, and it was concerned whether ships operating now with reduced crews were complying with practices for stopping the spread of the virus. Cruise lines that belong to the Cruise Lines International Association had already canceled cruises until September 15th. They are talking with federal officials about how to return to operations safely. The decision comes amid soaring coronavirus cases in many states, including Florida, from where a significant number of cruises depart. Here’s the complete story from Associated Press.