Carnival plans to relaunch amidst investigation
~ Carnival plans to sail to the Caribbean again on August 1 amidst a congressional investigation into its handling of the coronavirus crisis ~
PHILIPSBURG – On August 1, Carnival Corporation is planning to restart its cruise operations out of three ports; Galveston, Port Canaveral, and Miami, Travel + Leisure reports. Cruises leaving from Florida will include the Horizon, Magic, Sensation, Breeze, and Elation.
Anyone returning to U.S. soil from a cruise ship is now required to quarantine for 14 days before they will be allowed to fly. For this reason, Carnival Corporation chose three ports that can easily be reached by road trips rather than domestic flights. The ships departing from Port Canaveral and Miami will head to the Caribbean islands.
A Carnival representative who spoke to Travel + Leisure said about the plan: “This reflects a measured, thoughtful, and realistic approach, including a phase-in of operations and a limited number of homeports conveniently located for many of our guests. We will continue to assess the operating environment and keep our guests and travel agents informed of our plans.”
The August 1 restart date is just a week after the current 100-day no-sail order from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expires.
“Our goal is the same as the committee’s goal: to protect the health, safety and well-being of our guests and crew, along with compliance and environmental protection,” said Carnival’s chief communications officer, Roger Frizzell.
Nevertheless, Carnival Corp is fully cooperating with the inquiry, Travelmole.com reported.
“It seems Carnival Corporation is still trying to sell this cruise line fantasy and ignoring the public health threat,” DeFazio added.
“Our committee, the U.S. Congress, and the American public need to be assured that the global cruise line industry and Carnival Corporation, in particular, are instituting necessary measures,” a letter from U.S. Reps Peter A. DeFazio and Sean Maloney read.
A Washington Post report cites at least 65 deaths of passengers and crew across the industry.
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wants all records, including communications with all federal and state authorities, the CDC, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Outbreaks have occurred on multiple Carnival ships since the outbreak began, with dozens of deaths.
However, Carnival Corp’s handling of coronavirus outbreaks on its cruise ships is now the subject of a Congressional inquiry. According to Travelmole.com, lawmakers requested documents and evidence of communications relating to the company’s response since the beginning of the year.
