The Cayman Islands government has now decided to keep cruise ships away until 2021 by extending its ban.
Forget About Cruising to Grand Cayman This Year
With cruise lines already suspending operations in the United States until November, there is now another setback with one of the most popular western Caribbean cruise ports. According to a report by the Cayman Compass, the Cayman Islands government is extending its ban on cruise ships.
The acting Port Authority Director Joseph Woods has confirmed that the current ban on cruise ships will be extended to December 31, 2020. This follows the previous extension through October 1, 2020.
Yesterday, Woods issued a notice to its cruise industry partners which said “I wish to inform you that after careful consideration, the Cayman Islands Government has taken the decision that in the current global environment with respect to the coronavirus pandemic, it cannot allow the resumption of cruise tourism in the Cayman Islands for the immediate future. The Cayman Islands will therefore be closed for cruise tourism until the 31st December 2020.”
Even though there was a recent decision to ban cruise ships through October 1 the government has constantly been monitoring developments and the spread of COVID-19. The United States has especially seen a huge increase in cases which has ultimately pushed the Caribbean nation to extend the ban once again.
The U.S. has the most amount of confirmed cases in the world and according to Johns Hopkins University, there have been over 5.2 million cases. The state of Florida which is home to several major cruise homeports is one of the most severely impacted states.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has already announced another extension on cruises in the U.S. with operations not set to return until November. There could even be a further extension and the trend is not looking good. Cruise lines are being impacted hugely and they are currently implementing new health measures so that cruises can resume safely.
The Cayman Islands has not reported a confirmed case since mid-July and the last thing the country needs is to let in thousands of cruise visitors with new potential cases.