Trump says four cruise lines will suspend trips for 30 days

President Trump announced Friday that four cruise lines will suspend outbound trips for 30 days at his request amid concerns over the coronavirus. 

“At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days. It is a great and important industry – it will be kept that way!” Trump tweeted. 

At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days. It is a great and important industry – it will be kept that way!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020

The move comes as cruise lines grapple with the spread of the pandemic, which has hit the industry particularly hard; early on 700 people were infected with the virus after being quarantined on board the Diamond Princess, and at least 21 people tested positive after sailing on Grand Princess. 

A handful of other ships have also been turned away from ports out of fears that passengers could spread the illness. 

The four cruise lines join Viking and Princess, which announced this week that they are suspending trips due to concerns over the coronavirus. 

Trump’s announcement came minutes after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that House Democrats and the White House had reached a deal on a stimulus package to help Americans grapple with the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.

Among other things, the package includes two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave.

The coronavirus has roiled the stock market, led to the cancellations of major sporting events, shuttered schools and caused more havoc. There have been more than 1,800 confirmed coronavirus cases thus far in the U.S., and 41 people have died, according to The New York Times’s tally.