News & Updates

Extension of the CDC No Sail Order until September 30th

Please be advised that Dr. Robert R. Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), signed the Second Modification and Extension of No Sail Order and Other Measures Related to Operations on July 16, 2020. This Order was effective upon signature and renews the No Sail Order signed by the CDC Director on March 14, 2020, as further modified and extended effective April 15, 2020.

This Order shall remain in effect until the earliest of

  1. the expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency;
  2. the CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations; or
  3. September 30, 2020.

This Modification and Extension of No Sail Order and Other Measures Related to Operations shall apply to all commercial, non-cargo, passenger-carrying vessels (i.e., cruise ships) with the capacity to carry 250 or more individuals (passengers and crew) and with an itinerary anticipating an overnight stay onboard or a twenty-four (24) hour stay onboard for either passengers or crew that are operating in international, interstate, or intrastate waterways, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

This Order shall additionally apply to cruise ships operating outside of U.S. waters if the cruise ship operator intends for the ship to return to operating in international, interstate, or intrastate waterways, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States during the period that this Order is in effect.

This Order in its entirety will be posted today on CDC’s website (https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/index.html) and shortly on the Federal Register website. Additionally, CDC will announce a Request for Information Related to Cruise Ship Planning and Infrastructure, Resumption of Passenger Operations, and Summary Questions. This information may be used to inform future public health guidance and preventative measures relating to travel on cruise ships. The announcement will be available on the Federal Register website.

Finally, CDC will be making minor updates to the Interim Guidance for Mitigation of COVID-19 Among Cruise Ship Crew During the Period of the No Sail Order (https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/management/interim-guidance-no-sail-order.html) to provide additional information to cruise lines operating in US jurisdiction under the Second Modification and Extension of No Sail Order and Other Measures Related to Operations. These will include changes to the Enhanced Data Collection Form and processes cruise ships should follow if they are currently out of US jurisdiction but intend to return before September 30, 2020. We will notify cruise lines when the updates will be available.