Friday, December 31, 2021
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people should avoid travelling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status, as daily COVID-19 cases in the country climb to record highs due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people should avoid travelling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status, as daily COVID-19 cases in the country climb to record highs due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
The move delivers another blow to the cruise industry that had just started returning to the seas in June after a months-long suspension of voyages caused by the pandemic.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday raised its COVID-19 travel health notice level for cruise ships to its highest warning level, citing reports of COVID-19 outbreaks on cruises.
The health agency has investigated and still probing into COVID-19 cases on more than 90 ships. It starts scrutiny if 0.10% or more passengers on guest voyages test positive for COVID-19.
The shares in Carnival Corp (CCL.N), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH.N) and Royal Caribbean Group (RCL.N) reversed course to fall about 1% after the travel advisory from the CDC.
Cruise Lines International Association said that the decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for the cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard. Norwegian Cruise, meanwhile, said it believed guests on its ships were better protected from contracting COVID-19 than in any other general population setting.
The company and Carnival Cruise said the CDC’s decision had not impacted scheduled itineraries.
The CDC said passengers already on cruise ships should get tested three to five days after their trip ends, and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days.
