More than 100 cruise ships in US waters were exposed to the Covid-19 virus, according to the CDC.
Citing CDC data, the New York Times reports just 15 out of 121 cruise ships that entered US territorial waters did not have at least one coronavirus case onboard.
It was supplied with the data under a Freedom of Information Act request.
More than 3,000 people were diagnosed with Covid-19 which were linked to their cruises, and more than 80 died, according to analysis from the Miami Herald.
It is now three months since the CDC issued a ‘no sail’ order for all large cruise ships and there is no timeline yet on when the cruise industry will restart.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) voluntary extended the pause from US ports until September 15 as there is apparently still work to do to convince authorities cruise operations can be resumed safely.
"The cruise industry is taking a holistic approach to planning for Covid-19 safety, when sailing is allowed, that would ideally entail a door-to-door strategy beginning at the time of booking through the passengers’ return home," said CLIA spokesperson Bari Golin-Blaugrund.
CDC data showed Carnival Corp was most affected with Covid-19 cases linked to 47 of its ships.
Carnival disputes this number, the NYT said.
There were cases reported on 28 Royal Caribbean ships.
