Senators call for second congressional investigation of Carnival ’s COVID-19 response
The U.S. House of Representatives is already investigating Carnival Corporation. Now two senators are calling for a similar investigation in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Citing concerns about Carnival Cruise Line’s plans to begin cruising again on August 1, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) said the Senate too should investigate Carnival Corp.’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their call came Wednesday in a letter addressed to the chairman of the committee.
“We urge the Committee to hold hearings with the leaders of the cruise line industry and public health experts to reassure Americans of the industry’s commitment to implementing robust measures to keep passengers and crew members safe,” the letter said. “Now more than ever, the entire industry must focus on real, systemic health and safety reform before setting sail again.”
The senators asked committee chairman, Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, to open an investigation and hold hearings. Republicans control the U.S. Senate and generally have the power to convene hearings and open formal investigations.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott is also a member of the Senate Commerce Committee. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the calls for an investigation.
Last week, the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) sent a letter to the cruise company requesting it turn over all internal documents and communications related to COVID-19 since Jan. 1. As of Tuesday, the company had not responded to the letter. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The cruise industry was left out of the coronavirus stimulus bill passed in March because the companies are registered overseas and flag their ships abroad, too.
Carnival Corp. is the world’s largest cruise company with headquarters in Miami. Its Diamond Princess ship became the source of the largest COVID-19 outbreak outside China, the epicenter, in mid-February.
Cruise companies including Carnival Corp. and its competitors, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises, continued operations despite repeated outbreaks and suspected infections on ships until March 13.
A Miami Herald investigation has found that passengers and crew on at least 19 of Carnival Corp.’s 104 ships have tested positive for COVID-19, and 58 people have died. Competitors have not been immune. At least 18 of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s 51 ships, six of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ 27 ships, and seven of MSC Cruises’ 17 ships have been affected by the virus. Across the entire global cruise fleet, the Miami Herald has found at least 2,787 people have been infected across 57 ships — about 22% of the total number of ships — and at least 74 people have died.
The companies still have not been able to return all passengers and crew safely to their homes.
On April 9, citing ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks among crew, the CDC extended its no-sail order for the industry, banning cruises through at least July 24, or until the COVID-19 pandemic is declared over.
Carnival Cruise Line, one of nine cruise lines owned by Carnival Corp., announced this week that eight of its 27 ships will begin cruising out of ports in Florida and Texas in August, while all other cruises will remain canceled through at least Aug. 31. The company has not announced any new infectious disease protocols to protect passengers and crew.
