The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States officially discontinued its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships on Monday, July 18.
In an update, the CDC stated that effective this date, it will instead, “publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and communities going forward.”
This means that the CDC will issue health and safety advisories for the cruise industry, as it does for other travel sectors, but nothing further.
Following this significant announcement, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) issued the following statement:
“The Cruise Lines International Association and its member cruise lines welcome the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end the CDC COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships Operating in U.S. Waters in favor of a set of guidelines for public health operations on cruise ships. We look forward to reviewing the details, which we understand will be posted on the CDC website in the coming days. This is an important step forward in the CDC aligning the guidelines for cruise with those it has established for other travel, hospitality, and entertainment sectors.”
They also believe that the demise of the CDC program proves the effectiveness of the industry’s comprehensive and rigorous protocols. In fact, cruise shipping is one of the safest modes of transportation and one of the most successful industries in limiting the development and severity of COVID -19 , with fewer passengers or crew members becoming critically ill or requiring hospitalization than land-based patients.
Not everyone is happy. Some believe that passengers felt safer knowing if there was an outbreak onboard or so.
“I am somewhat conflicted about this happening,” John Maddox, owner of Tropical Getaways Travel said in reaction to the news. “I am thrilled that the days of the cruise lines being treated unfairly are hopefully over. I am hopeful that pre-cruise testing, which has been a source of anxiety for many, will be phased out.”
“I do have pause with the cruise lines and their history of not being as transparent as possible in many areas,” he said. “Customers deserve to know information about cases onboard to make a personal health decision as to whether or not they will be comfortable sailing,” Maddox said.