Cruises move closer to setting sail after new CDC guidance

The CDC issued new guidance for cruise ships, giving the industry better direction on how ships can resume normal operations.

The CDC said that coronavirus vaccination efforts will be “critical” to resuming normal operations.

The new guidance provides cruises with the following six instructions:

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.