Cruise Ship Crew Member Disembarkations

Cruise lines that do not have complete and accurate response plan under the No Sail Order must continue to submit a signed attestation to disembark their crew members by non-commercial travel.

By signing the attestation form, cruise ship operators agree to follow specific conditions that are designed to allow crew to safely disembark while protecting public health, including the following:

• Arrange to transport crew members to their final destination (US or overseas) by industry-chartered private transport, industry-chartered private flights, or personal vehicles (no rental cars, taxis, or ride-share services) with measures in place to ensure neither those involved in transport nor other members of the public are exposed to the disembarking individuals.
• Screen disembarking crew members for symptoms of COVID-19.
• Ensure crew members with known exposures to COVID-19 are transported separately from those with no known exposure.
• Provide face coverings, such as a cloth face covering, to disembarking crew members or confirm that they have their own face coverings.
• Instruct disembarking crew members to stay home for 14 days and continue to practice social distancing after reaching their final destination.
• Ensure disembarking crew members:
  • will not stay overnight in a hotel before the flight or at any point until they reach their final destination
  • will not use public transportation (including taxis, rental cars or ride-share services) to get to the airport/charter flight
  • will not enter the public airport terminal
  • will not take commercial aircraft after an initial charter flight
  • will not have a transportation layover exceeding 8 hours
  • will not have interaction with the public during their travel home or to their new duty station (e.g., rental car companies, restaurants, other public areas)

Requiring a signed attestation helps ensure that the information provided by cruise officials as a condition of disembarking or transferring crew is truthful and accurate. By signing the legal attestation documents, cruise line officials certify that the information they provided to CDC is truthful and accurate. If the information is not truthful and accurate, these officials are subject to the criminal penalty provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. It is common to ask corporate officials in other settings to certify that statements made to the U.S. Government on behalf of the corporate entity are truthful and accurate, such as in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing or when seeking payment reimbursement under Medicare.

Complete and accurate response plans that cruise lines develop and implement incorporate all of the elements that are in the attestation form. CDC is not requiring a signed attestation to disembark crew for cruise lines with complete and accurate response plans, if the crew are disembarking by noncommercial means. Ships that want to disembark crew members using commercial transport will need to meet certain eligibility requirements and submit a separate attestation. For more information on the differences between the two attestation CDC requires, visit the Interim Guidance.

Under the extended No Sail Order, CDC established an enhanced surveillance process to provide a more complete picture of whether COVID-19 is present on cruise ships.

Ships that meet certain requirements will be able to use commercial transportation to disembark crew members if they submit an attestation. These ships are also allowed to lessen certain restrictions designed to promote social distancing on the ship. Only cruise ships with complete and accurate response plans are eligible to submit this attestation.

CDC requires cruise lines to sign an attestation form to verify that the information they provide to CDC is true and accurate. Legal penalties would only be applied if the cruise line knowingly submitted a false statement, which could pose further risk to the public’s health.

The sentence for this crime can include 5 years in federal prison and a fine.

CDC’s No Sail Order (NSO)external icon applies to all cruise ships operating, or seeking to operate, in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction.  CDC recommends that all cruise lines follow the same guidance for safe travel to protect the public’s health, including conducting a medical screening at disembarkation, providing face coverings, and advising crew members to stay home for 14 days after disembarking.

Cruise lines that are unable or unwilling to abide by all elements outlined in the NSO and CDC’s Interim Guidance for Cruise Ships During the Period of the No Sail Order must remain entirely outside U.S. waters during the period of the NSO. Cruise ships that expect to operate in U.S. waters in any capacity or for any length of time must follow all elements outlined in the NSO and in the Interim Guidance, even while outside of U.S. waters.

The NSO does not apply to ships operating entirely outside of U.S. and do not plan to return to U.S. waters.  Foreign jurisdictions may impose their own restrictions or requirements on cruise ships.

CDC has provided Interim Guidance for cruise ships during the period of the No Sail Order to help inform the plans that cruise lines develop to prevent, detect, contain, and respond to COVID-19 on their ships.

CDC is committed to helping address crew members’ questions or concerns while onboard and as they disembark. Crew members on ships in or intending to be in US waters who have questions about the process for disembarkation or who have concerns about what their ship is doing to prevent COVID-19 onboard can share them with CDC by sending an email to eocevent431@cdc.gov.

CDC is also reminding all cruise lines in U.S. waters or seeking to operate in U.S. waters of these requirements. With the assistance of its federal, state, and local partners, CDC stands ready to direct ships that do not comply to leave U.S. waters. CDC also reminds cruise ship operators that those who do not comply may be subject to criminal penalties.