Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated its cruise guidance. The news is not good for anyone considered ‘high risk’ for COVID-19 - or for the lurching recovery of the cruise industry.
Titled: “Updated the notice to recommend travelers who are at increased risk for severe illness avoid cruise ship travel, regardless of vaccination status,” the latest guidance warns anyone at high risk for severe complications from the virus to avoid cruise ships, including river cruising - and that’s even if they are fully vaccinated.
It still categorizes cruise travel as Level 3 - or ‘High Risk’ on a scale of 4 where Level 4 is ‘Very High Risk.’ And it advises those who are not fully vaccinated not to cruise at all.
That aligns with how most cruise lines are operating anyway, as many lines repeatedly tell the public that their own surveys of their guests show most guests want to sail in a fully vaccinated environment, and that the cruise lines themselves believe full vaccination is the safest way to resume cruising.
Nonetheless, flagging cruise travel for the fully vaccinated - even those at high risk - is another blow to restoring confidence for cruise travel, as full vaccination has been touted as the ticket to resuming activities, like cruising, that were suspended during the pandemic.
Furthermore, the CDC's new guidance flies in the face of cruise line support for full vaccination for those on board cruise ships, even in the face of legal battles and adversity.
The state of Florida, joined by Texas, have taken on legal battles to try to prevent cruise lines from asking for proof of vaccination when sailing from U.S. waters, particularly in those states.
Those battles continue on two fronts: one with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which won an injunction earlier this month to cruise from Florida while requiring proof of vaccination, and also against the CDC itself, arguing the health agency overreached its authority and can’t require vaccinations for ships to cruise in U.S. waters.
In addition to the updated guidance for even fully vaccinated, high-risk individuals not to cruise at all, the CDC also issued mask guidance for those on board cruise ships.
“People on cruise ships should wear a mask to keep their nose and mouth covered when in shared spaces. While CDC’s Mask Order is not being enforced on cruise ships, individual cruise lines may require travelers (passengers and crew) to wear masks indoors on board the ship.”
You can read the CDC’s latest cruise guidance in full here on the CDC’s web site.
