CDC Update on Masks and Shore Excursions

 

Today the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) made updates to its COVID-19 Operations Manual for Simulated and Restricted Voyages under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order.

With these updates from CDC, the cruise lines are closer to having their clarifying questions answered.

Mask Use - Fully Vaccinated Travelers:

• Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that—if they are fully vaccinated—they may gather or conduct activities outdoors, including engaging in extended meal service or beverage consumption, without wearing a mask except in crowded settings.

 

Shore Excursions - Fully Vaccinated Travelers:

• Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that—if they are fully vaccinated—they may engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops, if they wear a mask while indoors. The cruise ship operator is additionally advised that foreign jurisdictions may have their own requirements.

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CDC Releases Next Phase to Resume Cruising

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the next phase of technical guidance under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) requiring cruise lines to establish agreements at ports where they intend to operate, implement routine testing of crew, and develop plans incorporating vaccination strategies to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of COVID-19 by crew and passengers.  

This phase, the second of the CSO issued in October 2020, provides technical instructions on: 

• Increasing from weekly to daily the reporting frequency of COVID-19 cases and illnesses.
• Implementing routine testing of all crew based on each ship’s color status. 
• Updating the color-coding system used to classify ships’ status with respect to COVID-19.
• Decreasing the time needed for a “red” ship to become “green” from 28 to 14 days based on the availability of onboard testing, routine screening testing protocols, and daily reporting. 
• Creating planning materials for agreements that port authorities and local health authorities must approve to ensure cruise lines have the necessary infrastructure in place to manage an outbreak of COVID-19 on their ships to include healthcare capacity and housing to isolate infected people and quarantine those who are exposed. 
• Establishing a plan and timeline for vaccination of crew and port personnel. 

The next phase of the CSO will include simulated (trial) voyages that will allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers. 

CDC is committed to working with the cruise industry and seaport partners to resume cruising when it is safe to do so, following the phased approach outlined in the CSO. 

COVID-19 vaccination efforts will be critical in the safe resumption of passenger operations. As more people are fully vaccinated, the phased approach allows CDC to incorporate these advancements into planning for resumption of cruise ship travel when it is safe to do so. CDC recommends that all eligible port personnel and travelers (passengers and crew) get a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available to them. 

Cruising safely and responsibly during a global pandemic is difficult. While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, following the phases of the CSO will ensure cruise ship passenger operations are conducted in a way that protects crew members, passengers, and port personnel, particularly with emerging COVID-19 variants of concern. 

CDC will continue to update its guidance and recommendations to specify basic safety standards and public health interventions based on the best scientific evidence available. For more information about COVID-19 and cruise ships, please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/cruise-ship/what-cdc-is-doing.html and www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise.

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Carnival Not Moving Ships from US

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Following CLIA's request to the CDC to allow cruising from U.S. ports to resume by July and the response from the CDC that it is sticking to the end date in the Conditional Sail Order of expiration of November 1, 2021, cruise lines have been making their own announcements regarding their plans.

Some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises have announced cruises starting in June from new homeports outside the U.S.  See posts in our mini-series:  Let's Get Traveling.

Carnival Cruise Line Update

• Not Moving Ships away from U.S. ports
• No decision on vaccine requirements
• No decision on June sailings
• Extension of final payment to April 30 for June departures
• June sailings can be cancelled up to April 30 with no penalty

Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said: 

 “Here at Carnival Cruise Line, we currently do not have any plans to move our ships away from their U.S. homeports. I’ve always said, Carnival Cruise Line is America’s Cruise Line. We sail from 14 U.S. homeports, 50% of our itineraries are less than 7-day sailings and a significant number of our guests drive to their Carnival cruise vacation.”

She also said that Carnival remains very encouraged by the vaccine rollout and that they are an important tool along with several health protocols. Carnival carries more families than other carriers.  Since no vaccine is available for children, making vaccinations mandatory would limit who would be able to sail at the moment.  

We will continue to monitor updates for all cruise lines.  We suggest you bookmark our mini-series and check frequently for updates.   You can also follow us on our various social media platforms.

Urge Congress to Resume Cruising

 CLIA URGING CONGRESS TO RESUME SAILING

YOUR VOICE MATTERS

Use your voice to tell Congress to urge the Biden Administration to lift the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) and allow cruising to resume in the U.S. by the beginning of July 2021! Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has posted a form on their website asking that member agents and others contact their Congressmen to allow cruising to resume from U.S. ports in time for Summer. Here is information from the website which is the basis for this ask:

"Much has changed since the CDC issued the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) last fall, including the cruise industry's proven success resuming operations in other parts of the world, where nearly 400,000 passengers have sailed since last summer. With the vaccine rollout gaining momentum and President Biden's projection that the U.S. will be “closer to normal” by early July, the case for the resumption of cruising in the U.S. has never been stronger.

The CSO, which was issued in October 2020, does not reflect these important developments. More than a year has passed since U.S. cruise operations were suspended and preparing a cruise ship to sail again will take some time—approximately 90 days, to be exact—which means that cruise lines must start planning NOW if they are going to resume operations by July."

CDC responded to CLIA's request by indicating that the CSO end date remains the same at this time.  

Your voice is IMPORTANT and NEEDED! 

If you are ready to see cruising treated like other sectors of travel and tourism and on track to resume in the U.S. by July 2021, please take a moment to call, email, and/or Tweet your Senators and U.S. Representatives to let them know!   CLIA has made it easy for with this online form.

Stay Updated on Recent 

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& Other Travel News

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I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

Where have you explored? 

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