CDC Drops Health Warning for Cruise Ships
After a long two years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has just dropped their health risk warning for cruise ships!
When the COVID pandemic started just over two years ago, the CDC instituted a cruise ship “Travel Health Notice” and essentially halted cruises leaving from the United States for over one year.
The Celebrity Edge
Credit: Celebrity Cruise Line
Since cruising restarted here stateside almost a year a ago, cruise lines have been going above and beyond to ensure all their crew and passengers are safe and healthy with stringent health standards and protocols including COVID testing.
The CDC has recognized all the the cruise industry has done and to keep all crew and Guests COVID-free and decided it was time to lift the cruise “Travel Health Notice.”
Image Credit: Norwegian Cruise Line
A spokesman for the CDC, Dave Daigle, stated, “While cruising will always post some risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers will make their own risk assessment when choosing to travel on a cruise ship, much like they do in all other travel settings.”
Daigle said that the CDC based their decision on “The current state of the pandemic and decreases in COVID-19 cases onboard cruise ship over the past several weeks.”
Image Credit: Disney
In response to the CDC dropping the cruise “Travel Health Notice,” The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), released the following statement: From the onset of the pandemic, CLIA’s cruise line members have prioritized health and safety – today’s decision by the U.S. CDC to remove the Travel Health Notice for cruising recognizes the effective public health measures in place on cruise ships.
While the CDC has dropped their health warning for cruise ships, it’s unlikely that many of the protocols currently in place including mandatory vaccination for Guests ages 12 and up (5 and up for Disney Cruise Line) as well as COVID-testing will be eliminated in the near future. Each cruise line can now set their own requirements and with the success of current protocols in place, they will most likely want to keep them around for a bit longer.
Image Credit: Disney Cruise Line
Personally, I have been on two cruises since November and have five more on the books for the next year. I can’t stress enough how “normal” it feels to be on a cruise again while feeling safe.
Photo: Disney
Do you agree with the CDC dropping their health warning for cruise ships? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image/Source Credit: Disney Cruise Line
