Thousands of cruise ship workers remain stranded at sea, aboard hauling ships without passengers.
While many major cruise lines in the United States have been temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 12,000 workers are still on ships months after the last passengers left, according to a report.
The U.S. Coast Guard says there are still more than 12,000 crew members still on cruise ships in U.S. waters, which is down to 70 after May.
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The Coast Guard says some of those workers have not touched dry land since March, around the time cruises stopped excursions and began discharging passengers, USA Today reports.
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While the 12,000 number may seem high, it is reported to be down to 70,000 in May.
The Coast Guard estimates that 209 Americans are still on board 37 of the ships that are either near a U.S. port or have the potential to reach a port in that country. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was aware of only 53 Americans spread across 22 ships.
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A CDC spokesman told USA Today that it is unclear how many of the Americans still are at sea are workers who the cruise companies deem necessary to keep the ships operational, and how many are simply sitting by their circumstances.
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It is unclear when cruises will return to normal operation.
While the CDC has extended the ban on sailing U.S. cruise ships through September, an association of major cruise lines recently announced that it will voluntarily extend the break on operations until October 31.
