As concerns about the spread of the coronavirus grow and federal authorities issue warnings against cruise-ship travel, the Port of Seattle announced it has canceled April 1 and 5 sailings for the 2020 cruise ship season.<\/p>\n
“This region is in a public health emergency and we will cancel the first two sailings of our cruise season,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Peter Steinbrueck in a release<\/a>. “The health, safety, and well being of our residents is our top priority.”<\/p>\n The announcement comes just days after the U.S. State Department issued a warning against cruise ship travel. Non-essential travel should be avoided the department’s travel advisory said, as well as large crowds.<\/p>\n Cancellations and reduced cruise ship travel are likely to affect Juneau’s tourism industry. The visitor industry makes up 18% of Southeast Alaska’s economy and workers in the industry brought in more than $249 million in earnings in 2018, according to regional development corporation Southeast Conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the same time Seattle canceled its first two sailings of the season, British Columbia’s top doctor also advised against cruise ship travel, the CBC reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement, City and Borough of Juneau City Manager Rorie Watt said Seattle port officials had informed him of the decision prior to making the announcement.<\/p>\n “That closure is part of Washington state’s response to limiting the spread of COVID-19,” Watt said in a release. “Many members of the public are communicating to myself and the Assembly about the upcoming cruise ship season. We completely understand the community concerns.”<\/p>\n Potential impacts of the virus were raised at a special Juneau Assembly Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night. At that meeting Mike Tibbles of the Cruise Lines International Association told Assembly members the situation was evolving on a day-to-day basis, and the industry was taking steps to make people feel safe booking a cruise.<\/p>\n The industry had been working with governments to implement new screening protocols, and passengers who had recently traveled to certain areas would be denied passage.<\/p>\n “These are the policies that are in place, and those are on top of the long standing health policies in the industry,” Tibbles said at the meeting Monday<\/a>.<\/p>\n