Royal Caribbean’s Richard Fain Urges Patience as Recovery Nears

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain released another optimistic, affirming video in which he shares positive COVID-19 forecasts.

“I know the sun is still shining behind those clouds, and that sun is bright, and it will soon shine through!” he said.

He noted that the development of the COVID vaccines should be recognized as a “towering achievement” and that this week saw one million vaccines administered in a single day in the U.S.

He admitted there have been glitches in administering vaccines, but the program is now hitting its stride, which “augers well for our future.”

Plus, he shared statistics from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent global health research center at the University of Washington.

Those numbers show that the number of COVID-19 cases will “peak at end of January then start to fall rapidly from there.” Other factors, including vaccines and mask usage, help to further reduce the curve.

“It also shows their prediction of a dramatic decline starting shortly, and continuing to plummet over the next three months,” Fain said. “They project by the end of April we can expect levels 20 times lower than today’s peak and the lowest they’ve been since early last year.”

He also noted that Royal Caribbean Group has taken many steps to ensure the financial stability of its cruise companies, and even offered interest-free loans to travel agents, as well as ways to access government support.

“Finally, we are approaching the point where we can run out the clock on this terrible disease,” Fain said, before paraphrasing a quote from martial artist Bruce Lee: “Patience is not passivity, it is concentrated strength.”

“So be patient, don’t be passive, plan, prepare and know that we will all come back stronger.”