The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifts its risk assessment of cruise travel Wednesday (Mar 30). “Travel Health Notices” are issued by the CDC to inform travellers about current health issues that could impact travellers’ health such as outbreaks and natural disasters among others.
The removal of the notice doesn’t mean that the agency considers the activity to be without any risk.Â
Cruise-ship operators welcomed Wednesday’s announcement, which came as many people thought about summer vacation plans.
An industry trade group said the move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention validated measures that shipowners have taken, including requiring crew members and most passengers to be vaccinated against the virus.
The CDC removed the COVID-19 “cruise ship travel health notice” that was first imposed in March 2020, after virus outbreaks on several ships around the world.
However, the agency expressed reservations about cruising.
“While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, travellers will make their own risk assessment when choosing to travel on a cruise ship, much like they do in all other travel settings,” CDC spokesman Dave Daigle said.
Daigle said the CDC’s decision was based on “the current state of the pandemic and decreases in COVID-19 cases onboard cruise ships over the past several weeks.”
The CDC emphasizes that travellers should make sure they’re up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before taking a cruise, in addition to following their ship’s requirements and recommendations against the virus.
Travellers are urged to check their cruise ship’s COVID case levels and vaccination requirements online before travelling, the agency says.
