MSC Cruises plans to resume operations from Florida in November
MSC Cruises plans to resume cruises from Florida in November 2020.
The company said it will begin cruises on its MSC Meraviglia and MSC Armonia ships from PortMiami and on its MSC Seaside ship from Port Canaveral in November. The ships will visit Jamaica, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, among others, and the company’s private island in the Bahamas, according to a release.
The announcement came before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun the process of determining how and when cruising can safely resume in the U.S. amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said. Caribbean countries remain closed to cruise ships and have not announced plans to reopen yet.
On Friday, the cruise industry lobbying group Cruise Lines International Association announced that all member lines, including MSC Cruises, will cancel cruises through Sept. 14. The CDC said it supports the delay, citing the difficulty quelling COVID-19 outbreaks on ships since the industry shut down on March 13.
“Sailings without guest passengers and with a markedly reduced crew size since April has continued to prove how difficult it is to control and eradicate COVID infections and outbreaks in the maritime environment,” the agency said in a statement.
MSC Cruises has canceled cruises outside the U.S. through July 30.
Carnival Cruise Line announced Monday that it has canceled all cruises though Sept. 30.
MSC Cruises said that it would be announcing new safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on its ships in the coming days.
The Miami Herald interviewed five doctors, three of whom treated COVID-19 patients on cruise ships, about what cruise companies can do to keep passengers and crew safe if companies resume operations before a vaccine is available. They recommend cruises operate at 50% capacity, test passengers for COVID-19 before boarding, stay within 500 miles of land, and provide ships with more medical staff and ventilators, among other things.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 5:50 PM.
