Cruises halted by virus plan return to Mississippi River

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — Efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus have further delayed the return of cruises along the Mississippi River.

American Cruise Lines announced this week that it would resume operations on the river July 11, The Vicksburg Post reported. It was previously expected to resume in late June.

Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Laura Beth Strickland told the newspaper that the American Harmony cruise liner was now set to arrive in Vicksburg on July 13.

The American Queen Steamboat Company also delayed its return to the river due to the virus. Its cruise is now expected to return to Vicksburg on July 17.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau had projected a record year for riverboat traffic.