Rival Cruise Lines Create Expert Panel for Post-COVID Operation Plans

Cruise industry competitors Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE: NCLH) and Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) have formed a panel of health and safety experts to create a template for operating safely once the companies resume operations. The industry's trade group, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), announced last month that the industry has voluntarily agreed to postpone restarting cruise operations from U.S. ports until at least the middle of September 2020. The companies say they have established the "Healthy Sail Panel" to be co-chaired by former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, and former Utah Governor and Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt.