CDC Lowers Health Travel Notice for Cruises

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered its warning for cruise travel.

In what is welcome news to the industry, the Level 4 Travel Health Notice, which advises no cruise travel, has been reduced to a Level 3, which advises against cruise travel for those who are not fully vaccinated or those who are at an increased risk of severe illness.

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The return to cruising has been largely successful; however, with the spread of the Omicron variant, the CDC raised its Health Travel Notice to a Level 4 for cruising.

The CDC's most recent announcement comes after it updated its guidelines for the cruise industry, which are optional.

A statement from Cruise Lines International Association welcomed the decision.

"The decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lower the Travel Health Notice threat level for cruise ships is a step in the right direction and recognizes the leadership and effectiveness of the cruise sector’s health and safety protocols that are unmatched by virtually any other commercial setting," read the statement.

"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 unequaled in its multi-layered approach to effectively mitigating COVID-19."