CLIA has said it is developing an “aggressive, responsive plan” to the coronavirus in response to a US State Department alert, which urged its citizens with underlying health conditions not to travel on cruise ships.

The alert followed a roundtable discussion with vice-president Mike Pence and acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf in response to cases on board Grand Princess.

A CLIA spokesperson said: “We are staying focused on the development of an aggressive, responsive plan as agreed to during the meeting with vice president Pence that goes beyond the already significantly enhanced protocols in place, which we believe are a model for others.

The alert from the State Department says many countries have put into place strict screening protocols that have denied entry to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking, all to try to contain the spread of the virus.

CLIA  added: “Any action to restrict cruising is unwarranted and at odds with the World Health Organization, which “continues to advise against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks.

“Singling out the travel and tourism industry, and cruise lines specifically, will have significant detrimental impacts—some possibly irreversible—on the national and local economies.

“The cruise industry is a vital artery for the U.S. economy, supporting over 421,000 American jobs and contributing nearly $53 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018. Cruise activity supports travel agencies, airlines, hotels and a broad supply chain of industries that stretches across the United States.

“With the proactive measures in place by the cruise industry based on prevailing guidance from global health authorities, restricting cruising is unreasonable and will have long-lasting detrimental effects on the U.S. economy well beyond the travel and tourism industry. ”

President Trump said Friday he would prefer the passengers stay on board the ship. “I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn’t our fault,” the president told reporters at a press briefing at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

However, it was confirmed that passengers on board the ship will start to disembark today (9 March).

Following the meeting, a CLIA spokesperson added: “We thank the vice president for a productive meeting marked by our shared focus on public health.

“We have committed to do even more to protect our guests, our crew and the communities where we sail. This includes more stringent boarding procedures, addition additional onboard medical resources and temperature screenings at embarkation.

“We will also develop industry-funded protocols to care for guests on land in the event on an incident to eliminate future incidents of onboard quarantine.

“We are pleased to know the government agencies are prepared to work with us in developing these aggressive new measures.

“We expect to report back this week with further details of this enhances approach to protecting public health.”

For the latest advice on coronavirus, visit gov.uk.