Cruise brands submit Covid safety plan for approval

Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line have made 74 recommendations to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

They were put forward by the cruise brands’ Healthy Sail Panel, which is chaired by former US health secretary Mike Leavitt and Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.

“The Healthy Sail Panel spent the last four months studying how to better protect the health and safety of guests and crew aboard cruise ships,” said Gottlieb.

“Taken as a comprehensive approach, we believe the panel’s robust public health recommendations will help inform strategies for a safe resumption of sailing.”

The panel identified five areas of concern, including testing, ventilation, response planning, destination and excursion planning and mitigating risks for crew members.

Leavitt said: “We studied the industry’s experiences combating the pandemic and we then incorporated the many lessons learned and advances made by medicine and science over the past six months.

“The panel’s recommendations are grounded in the best scientific and medical information available and are intended to meaningfully mitigate public health risks to those who sail.”