Royal Caribbean CEO says new COVID-19 protocol will make cruising ‘safer than a walk down Main Street’

Is that so?

The CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises has wagered that the cruise line’s new coronavirus protocol will make crusing “safer than a walk down Main Street” when cruising resumes at an undetermined date amid the worldwide pandemic.

Chairman and CEO Richard Fain was optimistic throughout a fourth-quarter earnings name on Monday, in keeping with a transcript from The Motley Fool. Though Royal Caribbean’s fleet is floating idle as a result of suspension of world operations, Fain stated directors are arduous at work behind the scenes to ascertain protocol for a secure and wholesome return to cruising.

Royal Caribbean has suspended most of its international operations by April.

Guided by the Healthy Sail Panel, headed by former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb and former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who was additionally the Secretary of Health and Human Services underneath President George W. Bush, Fain stated the cruise line is doing all it might probably to make crusing as secure as attainable.

CRYSTAL CRUISES REQUIRING COVID-19 VACCINES FOR ALL PASSENGERS

“We’ve taken their 74 recommendations for a healthy return to service as the basis for over 2,000 separate protocols, from passenger testing before sailing to physical distancing on board, the disembarkation of COVID symptomatic persons,” he defined. “All of these things will give our guests, our crew, and the destinations the confidence that the environment on the Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea, or TUI ship is safer than a walk down Main Street.”

The panel’s work is hardly over, he added, alluding to continued conversations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as coronavirus vaccine continues to be distributed.

Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley stated that over 250,000 individuals have volunteered to step up and function passengers for the cruise line’s future mock voyages.
(Royal Caribbean)

“Now, after 11 months of pandemic, I think we all know that COVID fatigue is real. People are clamoring for the opportunity to have experience outside their house,” Fain stated, later describing the vaccine because the “ultimate weapon” within the battle towards the viral illness.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley additionally revealed that the cruise line is awaiting additional technical steerage from the CDC “any day soon.” Like its opponents, the cruise line is ready to launch take a look at sailings to assess its capacity to mitigate the chance of spreading COVID-19, trials essential to resume operations within the U.S. underneath the Framework for Conditional Sailing.

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“It’s an inter-governmental process between several agencies within the government that are reviewing the technical specifications. But they’ve assured us that as soon as all of these things come together, they want to get us back into operation,” Bayley instructed buyers. “So, we’re just literally waiting.”

To date, over 250,000 individuals have volunteered to step up and function passengers for these mock voyages, Bayley stated.

“I think to our previous comments, I think our level of optimism is increasing as we see the infection rate declining so dramatically in the U.S.,” he added.

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Executives have been additionally happy to report a 30% enhance in new bookings for the reason that begin of the New Year, as in contrast with November and December of 2020.

However, it’s not fairly time to smash a bottle of champagne towards a new ship simply but. Royal Caribbean reported a web lack of $1.37 billion for the fourth quarter of 2020, bumping its annual loss as much as $5.8 billion for final yr, Reuters reports.