The Royal Caribbean cruise ship is seen on the Hudson River in New York City, USA on August 18, 2021, as the region’s first cruise ship returns to New York Harbor.
Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that travelers at high risk for serious complications of Covid-19 should avoid taking cruises, regardless of their vaccination status.
The updated guide also recommends that travelers who are not fully vaccinated avoid taking cruises.
The new board follows several outbreaks of coronavirus that have been reported aboard cruises, according to the CDC.
In addition, while the agency does not implement the same type of masking requirements that exist for airplanes, trains and other means of public transportation, it suggested that cruise passengers wear a face cap in shared spaces. .
“The virus that causes Covid-19 spreads easily among people near ships aboard ships and the chance of Covid-19 reaching cruise ships is high,” the CDC said in a statement. your guide update.
The agency advised all travelers to test one or three days before taking a cruise and three to five days after returning, regardless of their vaccination status. Those taking a cruise should also be quarantined for seven days after returning, even if they give a negative test for the virus.
The new direction comes just a week after the Belize Tourism Board announced that 27 people aboard a Carnival cruise tested positive for Covid.
On Friday, during extension operations, shares of Carnival Cruises fell more than 2%, shares of Norwegian Cruise Line fell close to 3% and shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises fell more than 2%.
Following the industry shutdown at the start of the pandemic due to several outbreaks aboard ships, the CDC has been applying strict guidelines to prevent similar events.
Of the three cruise operators, Royal Caribbean Cruises was the first to return to operations and had few cases aboard ships, which CEO and president Richard Fain said was the goal.
Royal Caribbean Cruises and Carnival Cruises have allowed some unvaccinated passengers on board ships, but Norwegian Cruise Line has not.
Norwegian even filed a lawsuit against the Florida surgeon general to stop the state ban that prevented companies from requiring customers to test for Covid vaccination. The cruise operator was temporarily suspended from law enforcement, but Florida has filed an appeal.