Despite warnings from the CDC, Americans are traveling by air to see their loved ones and vacation. That's a good thing for the airlines. But the weeks ahead will be telling as to what the costs will be to the American people.
New federal guidelines recommending masks on public transport are helpful but don't have the force of law. This continues to place the burden of enforcement on frontline employees.
Cruise lines have been selling tickets for cruises all spring and summer long, despite it now being quite clear they were not ready to safely resume sailing. What gives?
The CDC's extension to its no sail order isn't entirely surprising, but it will make certain more financial pain for major cruise lines that are furiously raising cash to survive.
This isn't the first time Carnival has announced a return to cruising in the last month. What's needed here is specifics on how things will be different (and safer) when ships set sail again.
If airlines and travelers are counting on airport screenings and quarantines to be a effective counter-measures in the absence of a coronavirus vaccine, the CDC said these tactics will "have less impact" when transmissions are widespread. Everything depends on effective vaccines.
The cruise industry appears to be taking a contrarian stance to U.S. public health officials, a move that's baffling given the industry's need to rehabilitate its image.
These voyages stand out for the particularly high percentages of ill passengers onboard, but the cases give no further insights into how to stop outbreaks from happening in the future.
The average virus outbreak occurs on a 12-day voyage and causes 6.6 percent of passengers to fall ill. Longer cruises give the virus more time to spread but the factors that lead to an outbreak are the same on every ship.