Cruises should be avoided regardless of vaccination status, says CDC – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) – The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday raised the risk level for cruise ship travel to its highest level and said it should be avoided regardless of vaccination status .

The agency has increased the level of travel risk for cruise travel from Level 3 to Level 4, indicating the risk for Covid-19 is “very high”.

The move “reflects the increase in the number of cases aboard cruise ships since the identification of the Omicron variant,” the CDC website said.

“Since the identification of the Omicron variant, there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among cruise passengers and crew reported to the CDC. Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of cruise ships reaching the COVID-19 case threshold for the CDC’s investigation, ”the agency said.

In addition to including cruises in its larger list of travel advisories looking at countries around the world, the agency created a color status classification for cruise ships.

On December 30, the agency listed 91 ships in its yellow category, indicating that the volume of reported Covid cases reached as high as CDC investigation threshold. That’s five more ships than those listed as yellow on December 28. As of December 30, no vessels were listed as red, indicating that the reported cases are at or above the investigation threshold.

Three ships were listed as orange on December 30, indicating that the reported cases are below the CDC’s investigation threshold. Sixteen ships have been listed as green, meaning no cases of Covid-19 have been reported on the ships.

The green, orange, yellow and red designations indicate a ship’s Covid situation from best to worst. A gray designation is reserved for vessels that the CDC has not reviewed for Covid safety.

Decision is “confusing”, says industry association

Cruise Lines International Association, a trade association, has expressed disappointment at CDC’s high level of risk.

“The CDC’s decision to increase the level of travel for cruises is particularly puzzling given that the cases identified on cruise ships consistently represent a very small minority of the total population on board – far less than on land – and the majority of these cases are asymptomatic. or light in nature, placing little or no burden on medical resources on board or ashore, ”CLIA said in a statement.

The association said that “cruise ships provide a highly controlled environment with science-backed measurements, known levels of testing and vaccination far superior to other places or modes of transport and travel, and rates of incidence significantly lower than those of the mainland “.

At least four ocean-going cruise ships have been turned away from stopovers or have been prohibited from letting passengers disembark in the Americas this week due to cases of Covid-19 on board.

Tips if you decide to take a cruise anyway

As the CDC says to “Avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status”, he advises those traveling on a cruise ship to make sure they are fully immunized and vaccinated, if they are eligible. People going on cruises should also get tested one to three days before their trip and three to five days after, regardless of their vaccination status.

Unvaccinated people must also self-quarantine for a full five days afterward. People on cruise ships should also wear masks in shared places, according to the CDC.

Most cruise lines require that all or the vast majority of passengers and crew be vaccinated, per a CDC conditional navigation order that has been implemented to allow cruise operations to resume over one year after the industry shutdown at the start of the pandemic.

Many cruise lines also require pre-departure testing, regardless of vaccination status.

Some lines, including Royal Caribbean, require all passengers 2 years of age and older to be masked in indoor public spaces, except when actively eating and drinking.

Before the coronavirus variants led to an increase in breakthrough cases among vaccinated people, some lines did not require vaccinated passengers to wear masks in areas reserved for vaccinated guests.

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