WASHINGTON: The United States is considering ways to discourage US travellers from taking cruises as part of a broader Trump administration effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, according to four officials familiar with the situation.The discussions were taking place ahead of a meeting this weekend between Vice President Mike Pence, who is in charge of leading the US response to the coronavirus, and the cruise industry.
Shares of cruise operators in US trading turned negative after the Reuters report earlier on Friday. Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean shares dropped nearly 2% and Norwegian Cruise Lines stock was down nearly 1%. Trump said during a visit to a tornado-stricken area in Tennessee on Friday that his administration was exploring options to help airlines and other industries hurt by the coronavirus outbreak, according to a pool report.
Cruise lines in recent days have liberalised cancellation and rebooking policies and some cruise travellers reported ships are travelling with far less than maximum capacity.