Should a cruise line opt to apply and be awarded a CDC COVID-19 Conditional Sailing Certificate, a number of challenges will include limited port traffic and the need for hotel or other housing inventory.

According to the new CDC guidelines, a cruise line will need a medical care agreement between the cruise ship operator and health care entities, addressing evacuation to onshore hospitals for passengers and crew in need of care, in accordance with CDC technical instructions and orders.

It will also need a housing agreement between the cruise ship operator and one or more shoreside facilities for isolation and quarantine of COVID-19 cases and close contacts, respectively, identified from the day of embarkation through disembarkation for each voyage, in accordance with CDC technical instructions and orders.

And perhaps more challenging, a port agreement between the cruise ship operator and port authority is needed and will determine the number of cruise ships at any “single port in order to not overburden the public health response resources of any single jurisdiction in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.”