[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 88 (Monday, May 10, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24865-24866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09895]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Conditional Sailing Order Technical Instructions and Operations 
Manual

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within 
the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces the 
availability of additional technical instructions and documents 
released under its Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO). These 
documents apply to cruise ship operators with cruise ships operating in 
U.S. waters and cruise ship operators who are operating cruise ships 
outside of U.S. waters, but intend for their cruise ships to return to 
operating in U.S. waters while CDC's Conditional Sailing Order remains 
in effect.

DATES: These documents were available April 2, 2021 and May 5, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Buigut, Division of Global 
Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
1600 Clifton Road NE, MS H16-4, Atlanta, GA 30329. Phone: 404-498-1600. 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 30, 2020 CDC issued an Agency 
Order establishing a framework for a phased approach to resuming cruise 
ship passenger operations in U.S. waters (85 FR 70153). The phased 
approach includes: (1) Establishment of laboratory testing of crew 
onboard cruise ships in U.S. waters; (2) simulated voyages designed to 
test a cruise ship operators' ability to mitigate COVID-19 onboard 
cruise ships; (3) a certification process; and (4) a return to 
passenger voyages in a manner that mitigates the risk of COVID-19 
introduction, transmission, or spread among passengers and crew onboard 
ships and ashore to communities.
    In the initial crew testing phase, the Order additionally contained 
requirements for: (1) Shoreside COVID-19 laboratory screening testing 
of all crew currently onboard cruise ships; (2) onboard diagnostic 
testing capabilities for symptomatic travelers (crew and future 
passengers); (3) shoreside COVID-19 laboratory screening testing of all 
newly embarking crew; and (4) continued compliance with complete, 
accurate, and acknowledged, No Sail Order Response Plans.
    On April 2, 2021 CDC released Phase 2A Technical Instructions. 
Phase 2A Technical Instructions assists cruise ship operators in 
documenting the approval of U.S. port and local health authorities as a 
condition of receiving or retaining controlled free pratique to conduct 
a simulated voyage or to obtain a COVID-19 Conditional Sailing 
Certificate to commence restricted passenger voyages. This includes 
documenting the approval of U.S. port and local health authorities in 
developing medical care, housing, and port components (including a 
vaccination component).
    On May 5, 2021 CDC released two documents under Phase 2B and Phase 
3 of the Conditional Sailing Framework: Technical Instructions for 
Simulated Voyages by Cruise Ship Operators under CDC's Framework for 
Conditional Sailing Order and COVID-19 Operations Manual for Simulated 
and Restricted Voyages under the Framework for Conditional Sailing 
Order.
    The Technical Instructions for Simulated Voyages provides technical 
instructions for Phase 2B of CDC's CSO

[[Page 24866]]

for cruise ship operators to test the efficacy of their health and 
safety protocols in U.S. waters. In lieu of conducting a simulated 
voyage, a cruise ship operator's responsible officials, at their 
discretion, may sign and submit to CDC an attestation under 18 U.S.C. 
1001 that 98 percent of crew are fully vaccinated and submit to CDC a 
clear and specific vaccination plan and timeline to limit cruise ship 
sailings to 95 percent of passengers who have been verified by the 
cruise ship operator as fully vaccinated prior to sailing.
    CDC's oversight and inspection of cruise ships during simulated and 
restricted passenger voyages will be based on the Operations Manual. 
The findings and/or observations of these inspections will be shared 
with the cruise ship operator. Cruise ship operators are expected to 
align their health and safety protocols with any CDC findings and 
observations. Such findings and observations must also be incorporated 
into the cruise ship operator's simulated voyage after-action report or 
as a condition of applying for and retaining permission to conduct 
restricted passenger voyages. Based on these inspections, CDC may also 
issue additional recommendations to the cruise ship operator that the 
operator should consider for adoption into their health and safety 
protocols as best practices.
    The Technical Instructions document for Cruise Ship Operator's 
Agreement with Port and Local Health Authorities under CDC's Framework 
for Conditional Sailing Order is found at https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/instructions-local-agreements.html.
    The Technical Instructions document for Simulated Voyages by Cruise 
Ship Operators under CDC's Framework for Conditional Sailing Order is 
found at https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/ti-simulated-voyages-cso.html.
    The COVID-19 Operations Manual for Simulated and Restricted Voyages 
under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order is found at https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-operations-manual-cso.html.

Authority

    The Technical Instructions and Operations Manual are issued 
pursuant to the Framework for Conditional Sailing which was issued 
under the authority of Sections 361 and 365 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 264, 268) and 42 CFR 70.2, 71.31(b), 71.32(b).

    Dated: May 5, 2021.
Sherri Berger,
Acting Chief of Staff, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2021-09895 Filed 5-6-21; 4:15 pm]
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