Carnival Cruise Line announced on Monday it will start cruising again, from Florida and Texas, beginning in August.
According to the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, these Caribbean trips are the first announced by one of the major cruise lines since the coronavirus pandemic forced a near-total pause in the global cruise industry.
The company said in a statement the ports of Miami, Cape Canaveral and Galveston, Texas were selected because they are accessible by car for the majority of the guests.
The eight ships named by the company have itineraries showing stops in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Mexico, among other places. Carnival Cruise Line said ships will not be cruising from Alaska, Hawaii and Australia through August 31st.
The State Department began warning against cruise travel on March 8, and the CDC issued a no-sail order on March 14th, which was extended and set to expire on July 24th.
The order prompted several countries, including some in the Caribbean, to reject cruise ships suspected of carrying infected passengers and crew members, stranding some ships at sea for weeks.
Carnival Cruise Line has not revealed what measures are being taking to prevent future outbreaks once it resumes sailing.
