Cruise ship gets approval for running its first sail post pandemic in June

Travel was one of the sectors that received a major blow due to the coronavirus pandemic since 2020. Be it the airline industry or the cruise ships all faced a major downfall as the number of trips were drastically reduced and limited. However, United States is now on its way towards easing some of the restrictions as the vaccination campaigns race. Celebrity Edge is one of the major cruise ships which is ready to resume sailing after nearly a year of restrictions.

It is a part of Celebrity Cruises owned by Royal Caribbean Group and has been cleared for sailing from Fort Lauderdale. The cruise ship will be carrying passengers in June 2021. Chairman of the Royal Caribbean Group, Richard D Fain in a press statement said that it was constantly in touch with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention along with other government officials for months. D Fain added that they are all set to offer the cruise lovers a chance to enjoy its cruises. The Chairman added that they are happy and thankful to reach this milestone.

However, the CDC who has granted the permissions has put a few conditions and has stated that to resume sailing in the US waters, it has to complete trial cruises that would replicate real-world cruising conditions or will need to comply with the vaccination requirements. Celebrity Cruises has decided to go for the vaccination option which would mean that the cruise organizers will have to make sure that 95 percent of the crew is vaccinated. The organizers will have to submit an attestation to the CDC while assuring about it. Even the passengers who have planned to sail need to verify that they have been fully vaccinated before sailing.

The company has announced that it will be running its trial cruise with its volunteers in June, 2021. And if things go smooth, the cruise will soon be carrying the paying passengers.

Photo Credits: Pixabay