CDC stops monitoring COVID-19 cases on cruise ships

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has discontinued a program that monitored cases of COVID-19[feminine] aboard cruises in the US and reported the findings to the public.

The initiative, called the COVID-19 Cruise Program, ended Monday, according to the government agency.

“The CDC will continue to publish guides to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and communities in the future,” the agency said on its website.

For two years, the CDC actively monitored COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships, using a color-coded graph to show different levels of transmission. The cruise lines that opted for the program agreed to follow all of the agency’s recommendations and guidelines.

Some of the first outbreaks of COVID-19 took place on cruises, where cases quickly spread among passengers confined to ships. Cruise lines were also among the most affected companies during the pandemic, especially before vaccines existed, when social distancing was the main measure used to contain the virus.

The number of people booking cruises has been declining in the last two years. In 2020 and 2021, cruise companies lost $ 63 billion collectively and thousands of jobs, according to industry data.

Individual decision

Since then, the cruise industry has increased its operations despite the current risks of COVID-19, and the CDC will continue to issue specific guidelines for cruise ships on how best to mitigate the risks of spreading the disease while at sea.

The decision to end the coronavirus monitoring program for cruises was made in part because the agency believes the industry is able to manage the risks on its own.

“The CDC has determined that the cruise industry has access to the necessary tools (e.g., specific recommendations and guidelines for cruises, vaccines, testing instruments, treatment modalities, and non-pharmaceutical interventions) to prevent and mitigate COVID-19. on board, ”an agency said. the spokesman said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “Therefore, CDC’s COVID-19 program for cruise ships is no longer in effect as of today.”

Individual cruise lines can now establish their own COVID-19-related policies, such as travel requirements for passengers and staff, as well as what protocols are implemented on board ships.

The CDC urged travelers to contact cruise operators for information on their policies, noting that security measures are likely to vary from company to company.

The CDC also reiterated that online cruise travel continues to pose “some risk of COVID-19 transmission,” but the decision to cross or not, and to be vaccinated and tested, is in the hands of people.

No vaccine needed

One of the industry’s leading players, Princess Cruises, is encouraging vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers to board. The cruise line updated its guide Monday with the CDC announcement, saying it can now accommodate more unvaccinated guests on cruises “without onerous exemptions or justification for vaccine status.”

Ruby Princess, a Princess Cruises ship, docked in San Francisco in March after a number passengers and crew tested positive for COVID-19despite being vaccinated against the virus.

Royal Caribbean said it is awaiting updated guidance from the CDC before modifying its existing protocols. The company currently requires adult guests sailing from U.S. ports to be vaccinated and to provide a negative PCR or antigen test done no more than two days before boarding.