President Trump on Friday asked cruise lines to suspend outgoing trips for a month in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
“At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days. It is a great and important industry – it will be kept that way!” the president tweeted.
Several cruise ships have had to return to port after travelers have tested positive for the virus.
Mr. Trump’s directive comes as passengers disembark from the Grand Princess, the latest cruise ship to get caught up in coronavirus fervor.
It docked in San Francisco Bay after being recalled from a journey to Hawaii. A California resident died after catching the virus and its illness, COVID-19, following an earlier leg to Mexico.
Californian passengers were directed into quarantine in at a military base in Miramar, California, while others were sent to bases in Texas and Georgia.
Passengers from the U.K., Canada and other nations are being flown back to their home nations.
Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the Diamond Princess, a formerly quarantined ship in Yokohama, Japan. Nearly 700 passengers and crew were infected and seven people died.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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