The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again extended the ban on cruise ships at US ports until October 1.
The CDC’s no sail order was due to expire on July 24, although the industry had already voluntarily agreed to pause operations until September 15.
Shares of the big three operators sank once again with Norwegian Cruise Line seeing nearly 15% of its value wiped out.
NCLH shares are now down 73% this year.
The CDC cites data that shows nearly 3,000 Covid-19 infections resulting in 34 deaths came directly from cruise ships.
"These data have also revealed a total of 99 outbreaks on 123 different cruise ships, meaning that 80% of ships within US jurisdiction were affected by Covid-19 during this time frame," CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield wrote in the executive summary.
Canada also banned large cruise ship operations until the end of October, although Europe plans to allow cruise vacations to resume from next month.
by Ray Montgomery, US editor
