The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people not to go on cruises, regardless of their vaccination status, because of onboard outbreaks fueled by the omicron variant.

– The cruise industry has jettisoned hopes of restarting operations this year. Cruise Lines International Association — which includes cruise giants Princess, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean — said that its members have voluntarily opted to maintain the current suspension of cruise operations in the U.S. through the end of the year. On Friday, federal health officials issued new rules that will enable large cruise ships to start sailing again in U.S. waters, though not immediately. In mid-March, the CDC ordered cruise ships to stop sailing to U.S. ports after several outbreaks convinced officials that the vessels were potential cauldrons of infection. The cruise association estimates that the suspension of cruises snuffed out more than $25 billion in economic activity, and 164,000 American jobs.

Major cruise lines say they will test all passengers and crew for COVID-19 prior to boarding as part of their plan for resuming sailing in the Americas. The association’s safety plan will now go to the CDC, which will consider it as the agency decides whether to lift the no-sail order. The safety plan requires testing of passengers and crew, but doesn’t specify the types of coronavirus tests that companies must use, CLIA Chairman Adam Goldstein said. The plan permits limited shore excursions and requires passengers to wear masks and stay apart from other people during those excursions. The plan also requires ships to increase the amount of fresh air in their ventilation systems and use advanced filtration methods where feasible.

With new coronavirus (COVID-19) clusters sprouting aboard ships overseas, the U.S. cruise industry is extending its suspension of operations through October. The Hurtigruten cruise line was one of the first to resume sailing in June, offering cruises from Germany to Norway. Positive coronavirus tests have also been reported this week on cruise ships in Italy and Tahiti. The risk of infection aboard a cruise ship is elevated because of the close quarters. States that rely on the cruise industry, like Florida, Texas and Alaska, have been hit particularly hard.

Some cruise lines are hoping to set sail later this summer but with images of coronavirus-ravaged ships still fresh in many minds, the industry could face years of choppy water ahead. The global cruise industry expected to carry 32 million passengers and take in $71 billion in revenue this year. Cruise companies are talking to U.S. regulators, to foreign ports and to each other, said Brian Salerno, senior vice president for maritime policy at the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group that represents 95% of ocean cruise companies. Kishana Taylor, a postdoctoral fellow who studies the influenza virus, was already wary of cruise ships because of norovirus outbreaks. Robert Kwortnik, an associate professor at Cornell University who studies the cruise industry, thinks the industry will make some long-term changes to get back on its feet.