[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 168 (Friday, August 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53374-53376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19010]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-20-20ML; Docket No. CDC-2020-0096]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled ``Cruise Operator COVID-19 
Response Plans,'' which will provide CDC with the ability require 
cruise ship operators to submit plans outlining their response 
procedures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 onboard, and for 
preventing the use of scarce U.S. domestic resources in response to 
COVID-19 cases originating on cruise ships.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before October 27, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-
0096 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.

    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed 
above.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, of the Information 
Collection Review

[[Page 53375]]

Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Cruise Operator COVID-19 Response Plans--New--National Center for 
Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC)

Background and Brief Description
    Recent CDC actions in response to COVID onboard maritime vessels 
has shown that cruise ship travel markedly increases the risk and 
impact of the COVID-19 disease outbreak within the United States. If 
unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations are permitted to resume 
after the March 14, 2020 No Sail Order, infected and exposed cruise 
ship cases would place healthcare workers at substantial increased 
risk. Specifically, these cases would divert medical resources away 
from persons with other medical problems and other COVID-19 cases, 
consuming precious diagnostics, therapeutics, and protective equipment. 
Ongoing concerns with cruise ship transmission would further draw 
valuable resources away from the immense Federal, state, and local 
effort to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Further, the 
current ongoing non-passenger operation of cruise ships has not 
sufficiently abated the public health concern, as ship crews become 
sick and require medical care drawing on otherwise engaged Federal, 
state, and local resources. As operators of non-U.S. flagged vessels 
sailing in international waters, it is imperative that the cruise ship 
industry and cruise lines themselves take responsibility for the care 
of their crew and do not further tax limited U.S. resources during a 
public health emergency.
    CDC is therefore implementing a requirement within an extended No 
Sail Order that obligates cruise operators to develop and implement a 
plan that adequately prevents, mitigates, and responds to the spread of 
COVID-19 on board cruise ships and ensures that any disembarkation of 
passengers or crew is conducted in such a way as to not result in 
further spread of COVID-19. An appropriate plan shall not significantly 
burden U.S. government operations or the operations of any state or 
local government, including the U.S. healthcare system. The cruise ship 
operator shall further ensure that the plan is consistent with CDC 
recommendations and guidance for any public health actions related to 
COVID-19. As a condition of the granting of controlled free pratique to 
continue to engage in any cruise ship operations in any international, 
interstate, or intrastate waterways subject to the jurisdiction of the 
United States, the cruise ship operator shall present the plan, upon 
request, to U.S. Coast Guard and HHS/CDC personnel.
    Within these plans are notification requirements that obligate 
cruise ship operators to provide CDC and local health departments in 
the follow circumstances:

 Disembarking U.S. residents who plan to leave the ships and 
travel by private transport
 Disembarking crew to the United States for repatriation via 
non-commercial travel to home countries
 Crew transfers for purposes such as maintaining Minimum Safe 
Manning standards

    In addition, cruise ship operators can choose to submit an 
attestation statement to CDC attesting that their ship is free of 
COVID-19. If this is statement is accepted, cruise ship operators have 
the option to repatriate their crew via commercial travel.
    There are no costs to respondents other than their time to develop 
and submit the plan and the required notifications to CDC, U.S. Coast 
Guard, and the local or state health authority, as directed.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
          Respondent                  Form           Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent     (in minutes)        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cruise ship operator..........  COVID-19                     100               1        2,400/60           4,000
                                 Response Plan
                                 (no form).
Cruise ship operator..........  72-hour                      100               5            5/60              42
                                 notification to
                                 CDC of
                                 disembarkation
                                 or U.S.
                                 residents for
                                 private travel.
Cruise ship operator..........  72-hour                      100               2            5/60              17
                                 notification to
                                 state/local
                                 health
                                 department of
                                 disembarkation
                                 for crew
                                 repatriation.
Cruise ship operator..........  72-hour                      100               5            5/60              42
                                 notification
                                 for crew
                                 transfers.

[[Page 53376]]

 
Cruise ship operator..........  Attestation                  100               1           20/60              33
                                 statement of
                                 COVID-19 free
                                 ship (for
                                 repatriating
                                 crew via
                                 commercial
                                 travel).
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           4,134
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-19010 Filed 8-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P