Industry welcomes lowering threat level on cruise travel

Cruise industry has welcomed decision by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ease warnings a bit on cruise travel.

Trade association Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said that the decision by CDC to lower the Travel Health Notice threat level for cruise ships is a step in the right direction and recognizes the leadership and effectiveness of the cruise sector’s health and safety protocols that are unmatched by virtually any other commercial setting.

***FILE PHOTO: Cruise ships are seen docked at Miami port as the tourism industry is affected by the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Miami, Florida, U.S. REUTERS/Carlos Barria***

In its statement CLIA further said, Cruise ships have medical, isolation and quarantine facilities on site, implement extensive response plans using private shoreside resources, and have created an environment where almost every single person is fully vaccinated. As a result, cases of COVID-19 are very low with the vast majority mild or asymptomatic—making cruise unequaled in its multi-layered approach to effectively mitigating COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday eased its warnings for cruise ships by a notch from the highest level, seven weeks after it advised Americans against going on cruises.

The health agency made the decision to reduce the warning to level three from four in response to a decline in onboard COVID-19 cases, but still recommended that people who were not up to date with vaccines avoid cruises.

The CDC in December increased the warning to level four due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant that also forced cruise operators to cancel sailings.

COVID-19 infections are decreasing in the United States, with 168,485 new infections reported on average each day, or about 21% of the peak, with the highest daily average reported on Jan. 14.

Royal Caribbean Group , which also owns Celebrity Cruises, earlier this month said it had carried nearly 1.3 million guests since mid-2021, with around 2,500 guests testing positive for COVID-19.

“We believe we are past COVID-19 in terms of the overall impact on our business,” Royal Caribbean Group Chief Executive Officer Jason Liberty said in the beginning of February.