Posted on 03/22/2021 7:11:47 AM PDT by Capt. Tom
Worrying Answers From CDC Director on Conditional Sailing Order The CDC Director answers questions during a Senate Committee hearing that included questions regarding the Conditional Sailing Order and resuming cruises.
There are some very worrying signs coming from the CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, after answering questions from an Alaska senator. It now seems it’s not entirely up to the CDC on resuming cruise operations, and they are still working towards phase two of a four-phased plan of return.
There is no doubt that health and safety come first. Still, mixed messages are coming from the CDC regarding resuming cruises during a recent Senate Committee hearing between the CDC director and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Resuming Cruises is Not the CDC’s Decision Resuming cruises in the United States has just become even more worrying and confusing after a recent Senate HELP Committee hearing entitled “Examining Our COVID-19 Response: An Update from Federal Officials” held on March 18, 2021.
It has come across since the pandemic started and cruise lines started suspending operations that it was very much in the CDC’s hands-on when cruises could safely resume.
It seems we’re all wrong after some worrying answers given by the Director of the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
The U.S. Senator for Alaska asked a fundamental question as the state has suffered due to the Conditional Sailing Order and no cruise ship visits for over a year. Senator Murkowski asked:
“Can you give me any kind of guidance to give Alaskans in terms of what we might be able to expect with where this guidance is in the process?
When you say later, does that mean at the end of 2021, does it mean in three months, does it mean in one month? what kind of guidance can you provide when it comes to the CDC’s order as it relates to the Conditional Order?”
The basis of the question is to provide more of a timeline to Alaskans and those impacted by no cruise ship calls. Those businesses could be facing a second season of no cruise visitors, and the senator was trying to get some more set timeline details on the Conditional Sailings Order. Something which cruise lines and ports has become very frustrated with.
The CDC Director responded with the following the answer:
“We have provided technical assistance on the Conditional Sail where we’ve provided a four-phased strategy for how we could get sail open. We’re in phase 1 of that, moving towards phase 2.”
“This is an inter-agency decision, it is not a decision solely up to the CDC so I would be remiss if I would do that by myself because the decision is not solely up to us.”
The senator then quickly asked if she could provide some timeline on moving to that second phase and the CDC Director answered:
“I can’t simply because I don’t believe it solely in our jurisdiction to address, it’s not necessary the CDC.”
The senator then asked:
“Who else is in the decision-making process beyond CDC?”
The CDC Director then finally said:
“I believe the department of transportation and there are numerous others making these decisions”
The back and forth between the two related to cruises ended with the senator saying she’ll be able to follow up later and that she just needed some sense of timing.
We completely understand the senator’s frustrations, and until now, it was assumed that the CDC was running the show on when cruises could resume. Cruise Line haves already said they continue to wait on the CDC for further technical guidance so that they can prepare for the restart of operations in the U.S.
Dr. Walensky had made it clear it’s not in her hands, and the real power for deciding on resuming cruises is with the Department of Transport and several others, which we don’t know.
You can watch the video footage between the two officials at the senate hearing below:
Growing Frustration
There are positive signs for resuming cruises coming from everywhere at the moment as the vaccine rollout continues successfully. The UK has already set specific dates on when domestic cruises can return. Many are wondering what about the U.S.
There is no clear answer, there have been rumors that the Biden administration is thinking about limited travel from mid-May. However, nothing officially has been announced.
Meanwhile, cruise lines are starting to lose hope, it seems. We’ve already started seeing a shift to new homeports outside the U.S., such as Royal Caribbean out of the Bahamas and Israel, Celebrity Cruises out of St. Maarten, and Crystal Cruises also out of the Bahamas. Could this be Plan B for the cruise lines? We’ll see in the coming weeks and months.
Miami-Dade Mayor is also pushing towards a cruise restart after sending a letter to Dr. Walensky requesting a meeting. Major cruise ports such as PortMiami need cruising to restart. In Miami-Dade alone, cruise industry activity generates approximately $7 billion and 40,000 jobs annually.
Cruise Hive will continue to keep readers updated on the situations in the United States on the resumptions of cruise operations. For now, Norwegian Cruise Line has already suspended operations until July, Carnival Cruise Line until June, and Royal Caribbean also until June.
Looks like the USA ports and cruise Lines are in for more delays.- -Tom
The old "confusion delusion" in action. -Tom
Meanwhile the yacht chartering business is booming. I’ve had to schedule 3 months out to charter even a modest sailing yacht.
I would think the last thing the world needs is a bunch of demonicRATS in charge of transporting people by ship.
It's pretty obvious that Fauci is dictating to the CDC.
Yet another Dem bureaucrat who is clueless about the economics involved.
This is an inter-agency decision ...LOL. What isn't? Embedded bureacrats run the country. Elected politicians don't. Everybody prefers things this way. Great perks, little accountability.
The head of the CDC was, to put it mildly, dissembling when she tried to shift blame to a committee including the DOT. That idiot Murkowski should have asked, “Aren’t you on that committee? How can you not know the answer the question I just asked?” Murky let her off the hook.
In between cruises I have chartered sailboats in the Caribbean. Also trawler yachts. From the end Feb into March, from St. Thomas -Tortola -St'Vincent.
Just off the top of my head -Oday 37-csy44-C&C42-etc
In those days (about 50 years ago) the Morgan 41 and the Gulfstar 50 were the most popular sail boats in the Caribbean. -Tom
I want to charter a Catalina 440 out of the BVIs, but that’s not happening any time soon. Guess I’ll just “settle” for Florida’s west coast.
Biggest Scam in History
Initial estimates based on Chinese data assumed a very high 20% hospitalization rate, which led to the strategy of ‘flattening the curve’ to avoid overburdening hospitals. However, population-based antibody studies (see above) have since shown that actual hospitalization rates are closer to 2%, which is comparable to hospitalization rates for influenza (1 to 2%).
The US CDC found that Covid-19 hospitalization rates for people aged 65 and over are “within ranges of influenza hospitalization rates”, with rates slightly higher for people aged 18 to 64 and “much lower” (compared to influenza) for people under 18.
In many Western countries, age-adjusted mortality of the covid-19 pandemic is most closely comparable to the medium influenza pandemics of 1957 and 1968, but is far lower than the 1918 influenza pandemic. The temporary impact on life expectancy ranged from 0.5 years to 2.1 years.
swprs.org
A quote from the article - Cruise Line haves already said they continue to wait on the CDC for further technical guidance so that they can prepare for the restart of operations in the U.S.
Dr. Walensky (CDC) had made it clear it’s not in her hands, and the real power for deciding on resuming cruises is with the Department of Transport and several others, which we don’t know.
Tom here- If the Cruise lines were working closely, as they have said, with the CDC , how could they have missed this ?
The behavior of these cruise lines are looking like they are as screwed up as our CDC. -Tom
Exactly, is it not her responsibility to tell them she is not in charge? It is a transparent lie on her part. Murky whole have called her on it.
What chance do you believe a cruise ship has of remaining covid free? Read article below. -Tom
https://nypost.com/2021/03/22/vaccinated-hawaii-residents-test-positive-for-covid-19/
Right, it’s ridiculous to think it is impossible cruises to stay COVID free. As we’ve said. It is such a bad break for the lines that the election was stolen. If the CDC kept their slow walking act up the lines could have told them to go F themselves and Trump would have backed them.
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