Royal Caribbean suspends US cruise operations after national emergency declared

Royal Caribbean will suspend all cruises passing through the United States for at least 30 days as the country declares a national emergency over the novel coronavirus pandemic, the company announced on Friday.

“Cruises that depart US ports before midnight tonight and international cruises will operate their scheduled itineraries,” the company tells The Verge. “US ships already at sea will finish their itineraries as planned.”

The company joins Carnival Corporation in scaling back operations in order to try to slow the spread of the virus. Carnival announced on Thursday that it was shutting down its Princess Cruises line for two months after two of its ships became hotbeds for the novel coronavirus, leading to at least eight deaths and...

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