CDC Drops Health Risk Notice for Cruise Travel
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has officially lifted its COVID-19 Cruise Ship Travel Health Notice. This warning has been in place by the organization for nearly two years since the start of the COVID pandemic.
Removing this warning shows that the CDC recognizes the positive steps that the cruise line industry has taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus on ships. At this time, the voluntary COVID-19 program remains in effect. As of today, 106 cruise ships have opted into the program.
CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) released the following statement regarding the CDC’s removal of the travel risk notice:
“Today's decision by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to altogether remove the Travel Health Notice for cruising recognizes the effective public health measures in place on cruise ships and begins to level the playing field, between cruise and similarly situated venues on land, for the first time since March 2020.”
Several cruise lines have also responded to this important step forward for the industry:
“We’re absolutely thrilled to see that the CDC recognizes that it’s time to remove the travel health notice website,” said Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages. While we feel this was a long time coming, we recognize this move as a demonstration of all of the hard work this industry has done to ensure that we’re offering the safest way to travel. It’s refreshing to see them meet us where we’re at, and clearly where our consumers are at considering the major uptick in demand we’ve seen.”
“The CDC’s removal of its health notice related to cruise travel is an important step forward in recognizing the work we have done to protect our guests,” said President of Holland America Line, Gus Antorcha. At Holland America Line, we continue to operate vaccinated cruises and have created a safe and healthy environment for our guests, our teams, and the communities we serve, helping to ensure cruising is among the safest forms of socializing and travel.”
This is a breaking news story. We will continue to share additional updates as they become available.
Ready to Plan a Cruise? Check Out Top Deals from All Cruise Lines
Post A Comment