Carnival plans to sail again in August, maybe

[SAN FRANCISCO] Carnival Corp, the giant cruise company widely criticised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, announced Monday that some of its ships may begin sailing again as soon as August.

For months, lawmakers and epidemiologists have blamed Carnival for failing to contain outbreaks on its ships and spreading the virus across the world. Its response to the pandemic is the subject of a criminal investigation by Australian police and a congressional investigation in the United States.

Despite that growing scrutiny, the company's flagship cruise line said that eight of its ships could begin sailing Aug 1, about a week after a government order banning cruises in the United States is set to expire. Those ships, part of the Carnival Cruise Line brand, are scheduled to depart from ports in Galveston, Texas; Miami; and Port Canaveral, Florida.

It would be only a partial reopening, and the timing could change as the company devises new safety protocols for its cruises. The eight ships that are slated to return to service are a small portion of the Carnival Corp.'s fleet of 105 vessels. Carnival Cruise Line said voyages on several of its other ships would be canceled through the beginning of October.

Royal Caribbean, the main rival to Carnival, has not set a date for restarting its cruises, though other cruise companies could set sail even earlier than August. A spokeswoman for Norwegian Cruises, Maria Elena, said Monday the company intended to "relaunch cruise operations" July 1, though she declined to say where those cruises would take place.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its "no sail order," banning all cruise travel in the United States until July 24. A CDC spokeswoman, Caitlin Shockey, said the agency has not consulted with any of the cruise companies on the timeline for restarting cruises.

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A spokesman for Carnival Cruise Line, Chris Chiames, said in an email that the exact reopening date would be subject to change.

Asked to list the new safety protocols that the company plans to use in August, Mr Chiames did not provide any specific examples but said the company would conduct enhanced health screenings and provide "additional sanitation."

Since the coronavirus started spreading in Asia, Carnival Corp has been at the center of the pandemic, with outbreaks on at least seven of its ships.

NYTIMES