On “Meet the Press” Sunday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases uttered words that no one in the Alaska tourism industry wanted to hear.

“Say no large crowds, no long trips. And above all, don't get on a cruise ship,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with Chuck Todd.

Fauci was talking about cruise ship travel now for the elderly and vulnerable, not in the summer, but trips to Alaska are not spur-of-the-moment decisions and this is going to lead to thousands of cancelled reservations to Alaska. Uncertainty is the biggest problem at the moment.

The U.S. State Department was even more blunt: “U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship.”

The industry had been expecting at least 1.44 million passengers this summer, an increase of 6 percent.

The coronavirus has disrupted everything and there is really no way of knowing what the health and economic damages will be. It will impact not just companies like Carnival Cruise Lines, the giant that owns Princess and Holland America, but hundreds of small businesses across the state.

Meanwhile, the Grand Princess, which has been held off the California coast for days, is supposed to dock Monday and allow the trapped passengers and crew to get off and be held in isolation. The Grand Princess is supposed to shift to Alaska cruises in May, traveling from Vancouver to Anchorage.

Here is a portion of the “Meet the Press” interview Sunday.

CHUCK TODD: We saw the extreme action taken in Italy. We've seen warnings, Washington State is out there with saying anybody over the age of 60 needs to take extra precaution. Maybe stay home, don't go to large events. What's the likelihood we are going to have to do more extreme quarantining?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: Well, you know, I think right now something that's important that I hope the American people appreciate is that the risk of getting into trouble with this infection, mainly if you are infected, is overwhelmingly weighted towards people with underlying conditions and the elderly. And that's the reason why if you are an elderly person with an underlying condition, if you get infected the risk of getting into trouble is considerable. So it's our responsibility to protect the vulnerable. When I say protect, I mean right now. Not wait until things get worse. Say no large crowds, no long trips. And above all, don't get on a cruise ship.

CHUCK TODD: No cruise. And how about no airplanes? No trains?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: Well.

CHUCK TODD: Where are you on transportation?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: Here's where -- the recommendation from the CDC, I feel this way strongly, and this will be a recommendation, if you're a person with an underlying condition, and you are particularly an elderly person with an underlying condition, you need to think twice about getting on a plane on a long trip. And not only think twice, just don't get on a cruise ship.