The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday advised people against cruises regardless of their vaccination status after a recent surge in positive Covid cases on board ships due to the highly contagious one Omicron variant conquered the world.
The CDC has raised its travel warning for cruises to the highest level as the agency investigates or observes dozens of ships carrying the one Covid Outbreaks.
Cruise lines operating in US waters reported approximately 5,000 cases of Covid to the CDC between December 15 and 29, a sharp increase compared to the first two weeks of the month when 162 cases were reported.
“It is particularly important that travelers who come to a increased risk of serious illness of COVID-19, avoid travel on cruise lines, including river cruises, worldwide, regardless of vaccination status, “the agency said.
The CDC guidelines are a new blow to an industry devastated in the first year of the pandemic. The stocks of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and carnival fell into the news.
The CDC warned that Covid is easily transmitted between people in close proximity on ships and that the likelihood of contracting the virus while on a cruise is very high, even for people who are vaccinated and have received a booster dose.
The CDC advised people who choose to cruise to get vaccinated before their trip and receive a booster dose if necessary. Face masks should also be worn in common areas, and passengers who are not fully vaccinated should self-quarantine for five days after the trip, the agency said.
The CDC also said that people taking a cruise should get tested one to three days before departure and three to five days after their trip, regardless of vaccination status or symptoms. However, many Americans who purchase for home tests have the shelves in many pharmacies empty due to a national shortage, and the lines at clinics can sometimes be hours.
Brian Salerno of the Cruise Lines International Association said the trading group was frustrated with the CDC’s decision.
“We are obviously disappointed with the CDC’s decision to raise the level of travel today for cruises – especially given the overwhelming effectiveness of cruise protocols, which result in significantly fewer cases on cruises compared to land,” said Salerno, senior vice president of maritime affairs.
Anne Madison, an industry group spokeswoman, said the Covid cases identified on cruise lines made up a slim majority of the total population on board.
“Most of these cases are asymptomatic or mild and have little or no impact on medical resources on board or on land,” said Madison.
Covid cases in the US have risen to a pandemic high. The US reported a seven-day average of more than 300,000 daily new Covid cases on Wednesday, an 82% increase from last week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that Omicron is driving the rapid surge in Covid cases.
The Senior Medical Advisor to the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that data from South Africa and the UK, countries previously affected by Omicron, suggest the variant is less severe than Delta. However, Fauci cautioned against complacency, warning that Omicron could still cause a surge in hospital admissions, which is putting a strain on healthcare systems simply by transmitting much faster.
About 82,000 Americans had been hospitalized with Covid as of Thursday, up 17% over the past week, according to a seven-day average from the Department of Health and Social Affairs data.
Correction: Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival stocks lost more than 2% on the news. Royal Caribbean fell 1.93%. An earlier version misrepresented Royal Caribbean’s stock movement.
