As cruises begin to slowly get started in Europe, the lack of progress to getting COVID-19 under control in the United States has Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain upset.
In a YouTube video update, the head of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. was clearly frustrated at the lack of progress being made to contain the pandemic in the United States while every other developed country has dealt with it better.
"As an American, this is incredibly embarrassing. There's simply no excuse for the United States to do worse than almost all the other developed countries in the world. And yet chart after chart shows that's just what's happening."
"In America, we pride ourselves on our individualism. But taken too far, individualism can begin to look a lot like selfishness. We should be angry that so many people are ignoring the simple fact that by exposing themselves to others, they are helping the spread of the disease."
Fain expressed hope that with some basic steps, such as wearing a face covering and social distancing, Americans can bring the pandemic under control too.
The head of Royal Caribbean also expressed pride in the work is Healthy Sail Panel is doing to keep guests safe, and is excited to see the final result they create.
He reiterated that Royal Caribbean will not resume sailings until the cruise line and government authorities, "are satisfied that we can do so with all of the appropriate protocols in place."
At the conclusion of the video, Fain decided to change up his traditional parting words by encouraging everyone to not only wash their hands, but cover their face too.
Matt Hochberg
Matt loves to cruise, and started Cruise.Blog as a place to share different cruise experiences, advice, and what to know before going on a cruise.
He lives in Florida with his wife and two daughters, where he can be found on any given day trying to convince his wife they "need" to book another cruise.
