Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is optimistic that cruises can resume by mid-summer, as operators struggle to stay afloat one year after sailing was shut down due to coronavirus concerns.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg takes a question from a reporter at a press briefing at the White House on April 9 in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Buttigieg shared the CDC’s latest stance during a White House press briefing on Friday. According to an official transcript, a reporter asked the secretary to comment on concerns from cruise industry leaders that the CDC’s most recent technical guidance under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) was much more ambiguous than the regulations for commercial airlines to fly during this time.
SILVERSEA’S 139-DAY WORLD CRUISE SELLS OUT IN ONE DAY
“Well, the bottom line is safety… I can’t wait for us all to be on the move as much as possible in a safe and responsible way, but it’s got to be safe and responsible,” Buttigieg said. “And airlines have — airplanes have one safety profile; cruise ships have another, vehicles have another. And each one needs to be treated based on what’s safe for that sector.”
“I certainly care a lot about seeing the cruise sector thrive. And I know that CDC is hopeful that a lot of these operators will be in a position to be sailing by mid-summer,” he stressed. “And laying out these specific, kind of, gates that they need to get through is a very important step toward that.”
“I certainly care a lot about seeing the cruise sector thrive. And I know that CDC is hopeful that a lot of these operators will be in a position to be sailing by mid-summer,” Buttigieg stressed. (iStock)
The day before, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the Sunshine State filed a lawsuit against the federal government, demanding that cruise ships be allowed to start sailing immediately. The governor argued that the no-sail order is outdated and devastating the state, as the cruising industry generates billions for the economy and employs tens of thousands of Floridians.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
>>>>