NEW ORLEANS – On Tuesday, the Port of New Orleans released a statement detailing the precautions that are being taken against spread of the coronavirus.

The safety and health of passengers, crew members and staff are top priorities for the Port of New Orleans. We are following the lead of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to take all precautionary measures necessary. We continue to actively monitor the evolving situation and are in constant communication with public health agencies and industry partners.

At our cruise terminals, like in the past in the instance of other viruses like SARS, Ebola, etc., a questionnaire is administered by the embarkation agency that all passengers must fill out before getting on the vessel. If warranted, there is second-level screening to determine if a guest can sail or not. Our cruise line partners are coordinating with the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO), implementing enhanced screening, prevention and control measures for ships, guests and crew. This will include denial of boarding for persons who have recently visited the epicenter of the disease.

Our ocean carrier partners are also following Coast Guard protocol to ensure crew and cargo remain safe, which includes additional reporting requirements for vessels with China as one of their last five ports of call.

Details on the Coast Guard’s precautionary measures as it relates to the coronavirus can be found here.