80,000 cruise workers are still stuck aboard ships in US waters. Staff members say it's 'embarrassing' they're not allowed to disembark.
- Up to 80,000 crew members are stuck on 120 cruise ships on US waters, and it's unclear when they'll touch land again.
- Because of a no-sail order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, crew members need government permission to disembark.
- Crew members say the order has effectively trapped them on their ships. One compared it to prison, and others say it's "embarrassing" that the US wouldn't let them disembark.
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Thousands of cruise workers are still stuck aboard ships on US waters, and the government won't let many of them disembark.
According to a report from CBS News, up to 80,000 crew members are stuck on 120 cruise ships on US waters. The Guardian estimated that more than 100,000 crew members were stuck around the world.
The ships aren't allowed to let staff disembark in the US because of a no-sail order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which bans crews from touching land without government approval.
The order is designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but crew members say it's added practical challenges. Staff members who do receive permission to leave ships are banned from interacting with the public and using hotels, public transportation, or commercial airlines, which makes it practically difficult to disembark, according to CBS News.
"We're on a ship with 1,300 other crew members from 60 different nationalities, and our nation is the one that's not letting us back into the country," Sky Princess crew member and Broadway actor Dan Domenech told CBS News. "It's embarrassing."
The Oosterdam, a Holland America Line cruise ship, was also prevented from porting this week when it tried to let staff members disembark in Los Angeles.
The ship has been at sea since March, with no COVID-19 cases, USA Today reported.
"I'm not sick. I've offered to take a COVID test. I've offered to quarantine for 2 weeks ashore, but the CDC won't let us in, and our ship is trying everything they can to get us home," Crew member Melinda Mann told Fox 11.
Cruse performer on the Oosterdam Ryan Driscoll told CBS News that the ship feels like a "prison."
"The fact that they won't let us off is extremely frustrating, irritating, especially for ships that just have crew members that have been quarantined for much longer than 14 days and have no COVID-19 cases," he said. "I want to go home. I want to see my family."
The Coast Guard is currently monitoring the 120 cruise ships on US waters. It remains unclear how many Americans are on board, and how long they will have to be at sea.
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