Carnival CEO defends coronavirus response, says 'a cruise ship is not a riskier environment'

Bryan Alexander | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: A look at why viruses spread so quickly on cruise ships A study analyzed the coronavirus outbreak aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald defends his company's response during the coronavirus outbreak and insists that cruising did not place passengers in a risky environment.

During an "Axios on HBO" interview that aired Sunday, Donald, head of the parent company for Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line, deflected blame for continuing cruises despite the growing threat of the virus outbreak, now a pandemic.

"20/20 hindsight, could everyone have done something sooner? Perhaps," said Donald. "But it was an evolving, learning situation."

More: Major cruise lines suspend worldwide operations

The Diamond Princess has been referred to as an "a floating epidemiological disaster" after it carried an infected passenger part way on its journey before returning to its home port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Feb. 3. After what began as a 14-day quarantine, 705 people on the ship were infected with coronavirus when all disembarked March 1.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on March 8 that Americans, especially those with underlying heath conditions, "should not travel by cruise ship" because there was an "increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment."

Carnival, along with all major companies, stopped cruising and suspended worldwide operations for two months on March 12.

Donald was asked about Carnival's decision to continue cruising, even offering passenger discounts, after health officials issued warnings on the spread of coronavirus. He said the company followed "every protocol in place."

"Cruise ships are not a source for coronavirus. We have hundreds of cruise ships out there. Very few had cases on them," said Donald. "The one that had the most cases was very early on, when no one understood hardly anything."

Rather than a ship with crowded, compact spaces and buffet tables seemingly being a natural breeding ground for the virus, Arnold compared cruises with New York City's outdoor Central Park.

"There's lots of natural social distancing. The ships are large. People are not always gathered and clumped together," he said.

Passengers who are sick are taken to medical isolation on a cruise ship, Arnold said, which "controls the spread."

"All I'm suggesting is that a cruise ship is not a riskier environment. People perceive it that way. But the reality is, it's not," said Arnold

Arnold said the company is planning as if the coronavirus fallout will continue "last all year." But he foresees a bright future despite the onslaught of bad publicity.

"I think cruises ultimately will be even better than they were before," he said. "People love cruising. Up until the day we paused people wanted to cruise."

Donald said Carnival was not seeking a federal government "bail-out" for the hard-hit cruise industry. However, given the circumstances "a loan guarantee would be helpful."