Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, has called on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention to move on from the Conditional Sail Order (CSO).
Fain said that while the No Sail Order was dropped for the CSO in October, it calls for a four-phased approach that is now out of date.
“It calls for a four-phased (approach),” he said, speaking on a webinar on Wednesday, “but four-and-a-half months into that, we are still in phase one and we still don’t know what will be required for phase two. That is pretty unworkable, for us and the CDC.”
Fain said the cruise industry has carried over 350,000 guests since last summer successfully, while Royal Caribbean Group has carried over 100,000 passengers with just 10 positive COVID-19 cases, which were appropriately responded to.
“We think that that the science has moved ahead of the (CSO),” Fain continued. “It was a very good process way back when. Back in October of last year we thought it was a positive (move) and it’s now out of date.”
Fain said that Royal Caribbean, along with the rest of the industry and Healthy Sail Panel, now feel it’s time to move on, citing positive developments with the COVID-19 vaccine, testing and contact tracing.
