The leading global cruise association has again called for the lifting of the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) conditional sailing order (CSO), following the release of new technical instructions for cruise operators wishing to resume operations out of the US.

CLIA issued a stark warning that without a “discernible path forward or timeframe for resumption in the US”, more sailings originating in the Caribbean and elsewhere “are likely to be announced, effectively shutting American ports… and pushing an entire industry off-shore”.

It urged president Joe Biden and the US government to “consider the ample evidence that supports lifting the CSO this month”.

On 2 April, the CDC issued the next phase of guidance under the CSO, requiring cruise lines to establish agreements at ports where they intend to operate, implement routine testing of crew, and develop plans incorporating vaccination strategies to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of Covid-19.

Other elements include increasing, from weekly to daily, the reporting frequency of Covid-19 cases and illnesses; implementing routine testing of all crew based on each ship’s colour status; updating the colour-coding system used to classify ships’ status with respect to Covid-19; decreasing the time needed for a “red” ship to become “green” from 28 to 14 days; and establishing a plan and timeline for the vaccination of crew and port personnel.

The release came after the CDC said that fully vaccinated people can travel within the US without a Covid-19 test or post-travel self-quarantine.

It added that vaccinated people can also travel internationally without getting a Covid-19 test before departure unless it is required by the international destination.

CLIA said the additional instructions for the cruise industry “are disappointing… unduly burdensome, largely unworkable, and seem to reflect a zero-risk objective rather than the mitigation approach to Covid that is the basis for every other US sector of our society”.

The association added: “We share the priority of the Biden Administration to control the virus and commend the significant advancements made in the US that are a model for others. We also respect the authority of the CDC to implement measures in the interest of public health.

“The effect of these new mandates is that nearly half a million Americans, from longshoremen and ground transportation operators to hotel, restaurant, and retail workers, travel agents, and tens of thousands of businesses that service cruise ships, are continuing to financially suffer with no reasonable timeline provided for the safe return of cruising.

“Moreover, the instructions are at odds with the approach the CDC and governments in other parts of the world apply to all other travel and tourism segments in mitigating the risk of Covid-19.

“On the same day CDC issued new onerous requirements for the cruise industry, five months after the original order, CDC issued relaxed guidance for domestic and international travel due to vaccination progress and recognition of the improved public health environment.

“Nearly 400,000 passengers have already sailed from Europe and parts of Asia since last summer, following stringent, science-based protocols that resulted in a far lower incident rate than on land.

“The irony is that today an American can fly to any number of destinations to take a cruise, but cannot board a ship in the US.

“This deprives US workers from participating in the economic recovery and does not recognise the public health advances that have been made over many months, including the ability to effectively mitigate risk on cruise ships.

“With no discernible path forward or timeframe for resumption in the US, more sailings originating in the Caribbean and elsewhere are likely to be announced, effectively shutting American ports, closing thousands of American small businesses, and pushing an entire industry off-shore.”