(Reuters) – Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd said on Monday it would return to sailing in the United States from Aug. 7, more than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry to a virtual standstill.
The restart of cruising in the United States is contingent on obtaining a conditional sailing certificate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the company said, adding it expected an approval in the coming days.
The U.S. health agency earlier this month issued requirements for starting simulated trips and applying for a COVID-19 conditional sailing certificate to begin sailing with restricted passenger voyages.
Royal Caribbean executive Michael Bayley posted over the weekend on Facebook https://bit.ly/2T5Ksjq that the cruise operator had submitted the first of several port/health plans to the CDC, which are required to receive approval for simulated voyages.
Simulated voyages allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers.
(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni and Sriraj Kalluvila)
