The U.S. federal goverment and associated authorities are waiting on a plan from the cruise industry regarding keeping guests healthy onboard in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re expecting a proposal tomorrow,” said Vice President Mike Pence during a Monday evening press conference at The White House. “I was in Miami on Saturday. We made it very clear we needed cruise lines to be safer and establish and embrace new protocols.”
The plan will include new medical protocols shipboard, processes for evacuating people that may contract a serious illness and other items.
Pence said cruise line leadership stepped up the table and are ready to go to the next level.
“We’re going to work with the cruise line industry to improve the safety; improve the health environment on cruise lines in the short term and long term,” Pence said.
Following a Saturday afternoon meeting at Port Everglades, cruise industry CEOs worked into the night at an office in the port, putting together a plan to better screen and prepare to care for guests.
Cruise industry leaders also mentioned they would pay for associated medical costs and transportation if need be.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, head of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said during the Monday evening press conference that young, healthy Americans should have no reason not to take a cruise.