- The CDC released COVID guidelines for cruise lines with Feb. 18 deadline to opt in.
- Are COVID tests required on cruises with new CDC guidance? Yes, the new program still requires testing.
- Cruise Lines International Association called the CDC’s latest cruise guidelines “out of step” and “unnecessary.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance for the cruise industry Wednesday and will give cruise lines until Feb. 18 to decide whether they want to opt in or not.
The new COVID-19 program comes nearly a month after the agency’s Conditional Sailing Order – which outlined numerous health and safety protocols – expired on Jan. 15. Most guidelines outlined in the CSO remain in the updated program.
“The CDC is committed to continuing to work with a cruise industry,” Capt. Aimee Treffiletti, who leads the CDC’s maritime unit, told USA TODAY in January. “We do hope that cruise lines choose to follow this program, because it does represent the best public health measures to help prevent illness onboard, and COVID transmission, as well as severe outcomes.”
The CDC still advises travelers against cruising, especially for those who are at an increased risk of severe illness, as daily COVID-19 case counts remain high due to the omicron variant.
“The chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is high because the virus spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships,” the agency says on its website. “If you travel on a cruise ship, make…
