The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring or investigating 92 ships for COVID, a factor that could add to travelers’ worries as they consider whether …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring or investigating 92 ships for COVID, a factor that could add to travelers’ worries as they consider whether or not to embark on an upcoming cruise. But the fact that the CDC is monitoring or investigating a ship does not mean there is a widespread COVID outbreak on board. Even with stringent vaccination, testing and masking, among other protocols, it is fairly common for cases of COVID to emerge among passengers and crew on cruise vessels. While it’s not known whether COVID will shut down the cruise industry as it did in March 2020, it doesn’t seem likely – even with ships under investigation for COVID. It doesn’t come as a surprise that coronavirus continues to find its way onto cruise ships – the CDC anticipated cases on board ships since before the omicron variant emerged, in part because of the very nature of cruising. David Daigle, a spokesperson for the CDC, told USA TODAY Tuesday that the health agency acknowledges it is “not possible” for cruising to be a zero-risk activity amid the pandemic. A person’s chance at contracting COVID-19 is higher on cruise ships because the virus spreads more easily between people spending time in close quarters on the vessels. “(The) CDC has been managing COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships since this summer when cruise ships started sailing with passengers,” Daigle continued, noting that the agency is working with ships to keep passengers and crew safe on board with mitigation measures in place.
