MIAMI _ The U.S. State Department is warning U.S. citizens not to take cruises, delivering what could be a major blow to one of South Florida's largest industries.
In a travel advisory issued Sunday evening, the State Department said there is an increased risk of infection of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, on cruise ships.
"U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an equal warning, urging travelers to "defer all cruise ship travel worldwide."
The announcement is a direct contradiction of statements made Saturday by Vice President Mike Pence, who traveled to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale to reassure cruise company CEOs that cruising would continue, albeit with ramped-up screening and sanitizing.
"American people value our cruise line industry, it brings great joy and great entertainment value for Americans," Pence said. "We want to ensure Americans can continue to enjoy the opportunities of the cruise line industry."
Pence is charged with overseeing the federal response to the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 500 people in the U.S. Twenty-one people in the U.S. have died of COVID-19, including two in Florida.
The government warning against cruising comes as a Carnival Corp. cruise ship, the Regal Princess, floats off the coast of Florida Sunday near Fort Lauderdale, awaiting results from coronavirus tests for two crew members. The crew members previously worked on the Grand Princess ship in California, which has 21 cases of the virus, 19 of them crew members. A third former Grand Princess crew member currently on the Royal Princess ship in Los Angeles is also being tested as passengers remain on board.
Princess Cruises is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.
The Grand Princess in California, expected to dock in Oakland on Monday, is the second cruise ship to house a coronavirus outbreak. The Diamond Princess ship saw nearly 700 people contract the virus on board while quarantined in Japan in February.
