CDC Drops COVID-19 Risk Warning For Cruise Travel

Good news for anyone longing to go on a cruise, as the CDC lifts its risk advisory for cruise travel. While the latest move doesn’t mean there is no risk of catching COVID-19 on a cruise, travelers will now make their own risk assessment.

CDC drops risk advisory for cruise travel

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made an important announcement. It has said it is lifting its risk advisory for cruise travel. Meanwhile, this doesn’t mean there is no chance of catching COVID-19 on a ship. However, the CDC says travelers will make their own risk assessment when choosing their journey. They will do so much as they do in all other travel settings.

Meanwhile, the CDC has dropped cruise travel from its list of travel health notices. This is no doubt a relief for a sector that has had to institute among the strictest COVID-19 precautions in the tourism industry.

Following the announcement, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) applauded the news. It said the move “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.”

The group added that its members are “sailing today with health measures in place that are unmatched by virtually any other commercial setting.”

Travelers urged to keep up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations

While cruise travel is off the risk list, the CDC does still advise travelers to ensure they are up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations before climbing onboard.

Travelers are also urged to consult with their doctors to find out about additional precautions they can take. In fact, this is particularly so for travelers who are immunocompromised or at a higher risk for severe illness.

The CDC and cruise travel

The CDC status for cruise travel has gone far in the past few months. It was on December 30, three months ago, that cruising was moved to the agency’s highest-risk Level 4 category. This came as the highly infectious Omicron variant caused a wave of cases, including a higher number of breakthrough infections.

Meanwhile, in February, cruise travel dropped to Level 3 – “high risk” and then to Level 2 – “moderate risk.” It stayed at that level until Wednesday this week when it dropped out of the notices altogether.

Precautions for cruise ships

Since large cruise ships resumed sailing from US ports in June 2021, vaccination and testing requirements have been widespread on cruises. Under a conditioning sailing order that expired in January, the CDC required 95 percent of passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated in most cases.

However, other cruise lines require all passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated.  After the extended conditional sailing order expired in January, the CDC transitioned into a voluntary opt-in program for foreign cruise ships operating in US waters.

In its announcement on Wednesday, the CDC noted that it will continue to provide guidance to the cruise industry through the same program.

What to do before you cruise

The CDC advises travelers to check their ship’s color code and vaccination status online before departing. On its dashboard, the CDC tracks COVID-19 cases reported for each ship. In fact, this is the case whether a cruise ship has opted out or not. Meanwhile, the website also offers other COVID-related information for travelers.