OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Matsui and Blumenthal Urge CDC to Take Aggressive Action to Prevent Covid-19 Outbreaks on Cruise Ships

Press Release

Date: April 15, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, urging her to strictly enforce recently issued safety guidance under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) and immediately halt cruises if outbreaks occur on board.

"Given the potential for a large, virus spreading event on a cruise ship, the CDC appropriately issued its No-Sail Order to suspend cruise ship operations," the lawmakers wrote.

On April 2, 2021, the CDC issued the first new guidance since October 31 of last year, outlining technical guidance that would allow for the resumption of sailing.

"While the United States makes progress toward our shared goal of beating this pandemic, COVID-19 remains a grave public health risk that requires ongoing vigilance," the lawmakers continued. "Prematurely lifting restrictions on cruising -- with thousands of people in close proximity and conditions ripe for spread of infections -- threatens a serious setback in this progress."

Congresswoman Matsui and Senator Blumenthal are long-time advocates for improving safety, security, and medical standards aboard cruise vessels. Together, they are lead sponsors of the Cruise Passenger Protection Act (CPPA) in Congress. The bill would build on the passenger safety measures signed into law in the Matsui-led 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA). Just last year, important CPPA provisions were enacted which would strengthen critical medical standards aboard cruise ships. These critical provisions guarantee the presence of a physician to treat any passenger in the event of an emergency, require an appropriate number of qualified medical staff to treat the number of passengers on board, and ensure that passengers are aware of the location of the vessel's medical facilities and steps they should follow during a medical emergency.


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