Letter to Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and Jeff Zients, White House COVID Coordinator - Rep. Steel Urges CDC to Reopen Cruise Line Industry

Letter

Dear Director Walensky & Mr. Zients:

Like many Americans, we are greatly encouraged by the improving public health conditions and
expanded access to vaccines that will allow our country to emerge from the pandemic and return
to a sense of normalcy. We are also optimistic about the forthcoming economic recovery that
will be experienced by many workers and businesses in our districts. However, as Members of
Congress who represent constituents that rely on the cruise industry for their livelihoods, we are
also mindful that there is not yet a clear path to reopening this important sector.

California is among the nation's largest cruise markets. In 2019, the cruise industry in California
accounted for 1.3 million passenger embarkations, generating $2.6 billion in direct spending and
more than 50,000 jobs. Since the onset on the cruise suspension in March 2020, our state has
lost $1.86 billion in direct spending and more than 40,000 jobs related to the cruise industry.
The financial impact is felt across our districts, affecting our constituents who are hotel,
restaurant, retail workers, longshoremen, transportation operators, and other small- and medium-sized business owners who continue to suffer from the ongoing cruise industry shutdown.

While cruise ships remain idle in the United States, in other parts of the world, cruises have
resumed using comprehensive, science-based protocols that have been informed by leading
experts, with far lower incident rates than on land. These sailings began prior to the approval
and distribution of vaccines and have proven successful in mitigating the risks of COVID-19 for
nearly 400,000 passengers. As long as protocols are in place to protect our communities and
passengers, we believe the cruise industry in the United States should also be able to resume
operations in line with all other sectors.

We are encouraged that the Administration, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) have expressed that a resumption of U.S. cruise operations is feasible by July,
and we are hopeful that the current pace of discussions will continue given the progress and
advances that the industry has made as it relates to enhanced health and safety measures. These
strides, combined with achievements made in confronting the pandemic and the improving
public health conditions in California and around the United States, leave us confident that
cruises can sail safely from our nation's ports again very soon. We ask that your team continue
to constructively engage with the cruise industry, so that our constituents can return to their jobs
and support their families.

Sincerely,

Source