The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention withdrew the cautionary advisory for cruise ships that went right into effect at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 30, the agency will now allow travelers to establish if the national COVID-19 rate is too high to book a cruise ship.
The CDC still “requires face masks to be worn by all travelers while on public transportation including all passengers on board and all personnel operating maritime conveyances traveling into, within, or out of the United States”
Tourists have to also wear masks inside transportation centers, such as ports or ferry terminals.
The firm additionally advised that cruise ship lines operating ships in American waters participate in the CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships.
Passenger ships are recommended to evaluate for COVID-19 onboard and onshore, to provide onboard seclusion, quarantine, as well as physical distancing, and to provide individual safety devices for the crew as well as guests, as well as to evaluate embarking or disembarking staff as well as non-crew.
“While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers will make their own risk assessment when choosing to travel on a cruise ship, much like they do in all other travel settings,” CDC spokesman Dave Daigle told ABC News via email.
Provided“the current state of the pandemic and decreases in COVID-19 cases onboard cruise ships over the past several weeks,” Daigle stated the CDC felt it was suitable to finish the caution.
“Cruise-ship operators have complained since the start of the pandemic that their industry has been singled out for a shutdown and then tighter COVID-19 restrictions than others, including airlines,” reports the Associated Press. “Operators are required to tell the CDC about virus cases on board ships. The agency has a colored-coded system to classify ships based on the percentage of passengers who test positive. The CDC said that system remains in place.”
The Cruise Lines International Association applauded the CDC for eliminating the traveling wellness notice. The world’s biggest cruise market profession organization stated the decision “recognizes the effective public health measures in place on cruise ships and begins to level the playing field, between cruise and similarly situated venues on land, for the first time since March 2020.”
Prior to the pandemic, cruises were one of the fastest-growing industries of the tourism industry with demand boosting by over 20% in the last five years.
“The three biggest cruise lines, Carnival Corporation & PLC, Royal Caribbean Group, and Norwegian Cruise Line, generated combined revenues of $34.2 billion in 2018,” notes Company Debt.
Following the global spread of COVID-19, the three operators reported a year-on-year decline in income by over 70%.
Financial reports from Carnival Cruises indicate the brand name lost $650 million each month its ships were docked. The company inevitably sold off 6 ships from its fleet.
H/T Timcast
