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U.S. CDC is working with cruise lines to help thousands of crew members return home safely


Since the No Sail Order was extended on April 15, CDC has worked with cruise lines to help thousands of crew members return home safely.

Safe disembarkation of crew has included a requirement for cruise lines to submit a signed attestation and use non-commercial transportation for their crew members. The list on this page provides the latest information on cruise lines that have submitted the signed attestations that received CDC approval to safely disembark crew using noncommercial transportation. This list is updated daily Monday through Friday.

Ships that have complete and accurate No Sail Order response plans to protect crew members against COVID-19 can now disembark crew members for non-commercial travel without a signed attestation. Cruise company officials must sign an acknowledgement of the completeness and accuracy of their response plans.

Ships that want to disembark crew members using commercial travel will need to meet certain additional eligibility requirements. For more information, visit the Interim Guidance.

Emergency Medical Disembarkations

CDC will continue to support urgent medical evacuations of crew in U.S. waters and ports, either by air or land ambulance. Emergency medical evacuations should be coordinated with U.S. Coast Guard and the receiving medical facility and do not require CDC approval. CDC has notified all cruise lines as well as federal, state, and local partners that the No Sail Order of April 15 will not prevent crew members from receiving emergency medical care.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases can happen on cruise ships because people spend time close together and with travelers from many countries. Disease can spread between ships when crew members from a ship with an outbreak transfer to other ships. Infected people may also travel on cruise ships between countries. For these reasons, outbreaks of COVID-19 on cruise ships pose a risk for rapid spread of disease beyond the voyage and into communities across the globe.

Because of the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high risk of COVID-19 spread on cruise ships, the US government issued a No Sail Order for cruise ships in waters subject to US jurisdiction and has advised US travelers to defer all cruise travel. The No Sail Order is published in the Federal Register.

CDC continues to work to control COVID-19 on cruise ships at sea while also protecting against further introduction and spread of COVID-19 into communities. The COVID-19 pandemic is constantly evolving, and aggressive efforts are needed to contain the spread. CDC will continue to evaluate and update our recommendations as the situation evolves.

What is the No Sail Order?In response to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the increased risk of spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships, CDC published the first industry-wide No Sail Order on March 14 to prevent, among other things, new passengers from boarding cruise ships. CDC extended its No Sail Order, effective April 15, 2020, to continue to suspend all cruise ship operations in waters subject to US jurisdiction. Among other things, cruise lines are required to develop comprehensive plans to prevent, detect, respond to, and contain COVID-19 on their cruise ships to protect the health and safety of both passengers and crew.

How long is the No Sail Order in effect?The extended Order is in effect until one of the following occurs:

  • The Secretary of Health and Human Services declares that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency, or
  • The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations, or
  • 100 days have passed from April 15, the date the extended order was published in the Federal Registerexternal icon and went into effect. 100 days from April 15 is July 24.
Why did CDC extend the No Sail Order?The No Sail Order was extended to protect the public, cruise ship passengers, cruise ship crews, and other industry workers. By restricting cruise ship passenger operations, the Order helps achieve several public health goals:

  • Prevents further spread of COVID-19 into and within the United States
  • Preserves critical federal, state, and local resources that are needed to respond to COVID-19
  • Preserves critical healthcare, emergency, and port resources
What cruise ships does the No Sail Order cover?The No Sail Order applies to all cruise ships, which it defines as commercial passenger ships with the capacity to carry more than 250 people and where an overnight stay onboard by passengers or crew is anticipated. The Order applies to all cruise ships operating, or seeking to operate, in waters subject to US jurisdiction, including those that have previously voluntarily suspended operations. It does not apply to cargo ships.

What does the No Sail Order mean for my upcoming trip?Passengers who plan to travel by cruise ship should contact their cruise line companies directly for further information.

On March 17, 2020, CDC issued a Level 3 travel health notice with a clear recommendation to avoid all cruise travel due to ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases on cruise ships. On April 15, CDC extended its No Sail Order to suspend all cruise ship operations in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction, including resuming voyages with passengers. The extended Order is in effect until one of the following occurs:

  • The Secretary of Health and Human Services declares that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency, or
  • The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations, or
  • 100 days have passed from April 15, the date the extended order was published in the Federal Register and went into effect. 100 days from April 15 is July 24.
What is CDC doing to help cruise ships with crew still on board?CDC is committed to helping cruise lines provide for the the safety and well-being of their crew members while onboard and as they disembark. CDC is allowing crew members to disembark from all cruise ships in U.S. waters.

Cruise ships with complete and accurate No Sail Order response plans are able to disembark their crew members without a signed attestation, if the crew are disembarking by noncommercial means. Cruise ships with complete and accurate No Sail Order response plans are also able to use commercial travel to disembark crew members if they meet certain criteria to show they have no confirmed COVID-19 cases or COVID-like illness onboard. Crew members on these ships that aren’t affected by COVID-19 can also resume some of their daily interactions with fellow crew members.

Cruise ships have medical facilities on board that can provide medical care to sick crew members as needed. As part of the response plans that cruise lines are required to implement under the No Sail Order, cruise lines should make sure they have enough medical staff, equipment, supplies, and other resources to provide care for sick people on board. They also need a plan to transfer sick crew members to a hospital on land if they need medical care that the ship’s medical facility can’t provide.

CDC and federal partners are monitoring ships with crew only, and we are working with the cruise companies and local and state health departments to ensure that seriously ill crew members can get medical assistance on land if the ship can’t provide it. CDC remains committed to humanitarian medical evacuation for people in need of lifesaving support. Emergency medical evacuations do not require CDC approval.

Crew members on ships in or intending to be in U.S. waters who have questions about the process for disembarkation or who have concerns about what their ship is doing to prevent COVID-19 onboard can share their questions or concerns with CDC by sending an email to eocevent431@cdc.gov.

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