The CDC discontinued a program that kept track of COVID-19 cases aboard commercial cruises in the U.S. The “COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships” initiative ended earlier this month. The agency has actively monitored COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships for the past two years. They used a color-coded chart to show the different transmission levels.
“CDC will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew, and communities going forward,” the agency said on its website.
Some of the earliest outbreaks took place on cruise ships. Cruise lines severely affected businesses during the pandemic, primarily before vaccines existed. In addition, the number of people booking cruises dropped over the last two years. Sadly, in 2020 and 2021, cruise companies lost a collective $63 billion and removed thousands of jobs.
Cruise Ships Still Moving Forward
Luckily, the cruise industry has ramped up its operations, and the CDC will continue to publish cruise-specific guidance on how to mitigate the risks of spreading the disease while at sea. However, the agency believed the cruise industry is capable of managing the risks on its own.
“CDC has determined that the cruise industry has access to the necessary tools (e.g., cruise-specific recommendations and guidance, vaccinations, testing instruments, treatment modalities, and non-pharmaceutical interventions) to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 on board,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “Therefore, CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect today.”
Furthermore, individual cruise lines can set their policies related to COVID-19. Those protocols may include travel requirements for passengers and staff. The CDC urges travelers to contact cruise operators for information about their policies and safety measures. They will continue to reiterate that cruise-line travel poses “some risk of COVID-19 transmission,” but the decision to cruise or not to cruise and whether to get vaccinated and tested is in the hands of individuals.
