Major cruise lines to follow the CDC pandemic recommendations

Ships operating in the US and owned by companies such as Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings have declared that they will voluntarily follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pandemic reduction measures so that the risk of new outbreaks can be avoided.

“The updated instructions move closer to recognizing the cruise industry’s leadership in effectively mitigating COVID-19, as well as acknowledging ongoing improvements in the health environment,” Cruise Lines International Association also stated.

The decision came after the CDC modified travel warning level for cruises from “very high” to “high”, with incompletely vaccinated or vulnerable travellers are still advised to avoid cruising.

After last month the rules included mask, testing and mandatory vaccinations for all passengers aboard as wll as the crew, now cruise lines such as Norwegian and RCI have announced some restriction changes: the mask in no longer mandatory for vaccinated passengers, yet other rules will be reinforced.

Companies that will opt to follow CDC guidelines are obligated to follow all recommendations, with no exception.

Aimee Treffiletti, captain in the U.S. Public Health Service, explains:

“It’s really about transparency with the cruising public. They’ll be able to say that they’re in constant communication with the CDC, they’re reporting Covid cases as well as other respiratory disease to the CDC on a daily basis, they’re following all the public health protocols and mitigation strategies to control the spread.”

The CDC will display publicly a list of the cruise ships that decided to follow its Covid-19 prevention related recommendations.

source: washingtonpost.com