The cruise industry has welcomed a slight watering down of US Covid health threat over sailings from the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered its travel health notice risk rating for US cruise ship passengers from ‘very high’ to ‘high’ on Tuesday.
The CDC has four risk levels, starting with ‘low’ and then ‘moderate’.
The CDC continues to advise Americans against taking a cruise if they are not up to date with Covid-19 vaccines and to maintain mask wearing indoors, despite some lines planning to drop this requirement.
However, the CDC admitted it is “exercising enforcement discretion” over wearing masks on board ships.
“For travellers booking cruise travel now, be aware that the level may change as the Covid-19 pandemic evolves and may be different by the time of your cruise,” the CDC said.
Cruise line industry body Clia last week warned that stringent CDC voluntary rules for sailing in US waters were “potentially unworkable”.
Clia said in response to yesterday’s revision by the CDC: “The decision by the CDC to lower the travel health notice threat level for cruise ships is a step in the right direction and recognises the leadership and effectiveness of the cruise sector’s health and safety protocols that are unmatched by virtually any other commercial setting.
“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 unequalled in its multi-layered approach to effectively mitigating Covid-19.”