CLIA member cruise lines extended their suspension of cruise operations through Dec. 31, following the CDC's latest order, which ended the cruise ship sailing ban but replaced it with an extensive series of requirements cruise lines must undertake to resume sailing again in U.S. waters.
The association, whose members comprise 95% of global oceangoing cruise capacity, said it will "use the remainder of the year to prepare for the implementation of extensive measures to address Covid-19 safety with the guidance of outside public health experts and the [CDC]."
The suspension had been in place through Oct. 31.
CLIA's largest members -- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Corp. -- have already paused their operations through Dec. 31 in response to the CDC order.
CLIA said the move would provide its members additional time to "align the industry's extensive preparation of health protocols with the implementation requirements under the CDC's Framework for Conditional Sailing."
"We recognize the devastating impact that the pandemic continues to have on the 421,000 Americans whose livelihoods are connected directly to cruise operations," CLIA said in a statement. "We will work with urgency to advance a responsible return to cruising while maintaining a focus on effective, science-based measures to protect public health."
CLIA said that each day without cruise operations in the U.S. results in nearly 1,000 American jobs lost and that from mid-March through today, it is estimated that the suspension of cruise operations has resulted in a loss of more than $25 billion in economic activity and over 164,000 American jobs.