CDC gives cruise lines steps to resume sailing
Despite guidelines in place, date to return still not nailed down
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued new technical guidelines to cruise lines to continue moving toward a return to sailing, but have yet to nail down a date that may occur.
All major cruise lines sailing out of U.S. ports are subject to the CDC’S Framework for Conditional Sailing order that was issued last October in place of a no-sail order that was enacted in March 2020. The framework outlined requirements cruise lines would need to follow including building up testing infrastructure on board and on shore and running simulated sailings before any line could sail with paying customers again.
Friday’s new guidance promises to get the cruise lines closer to a return to business.
The next steps, what the CDC is now calling step 2A of a four-step plan, are that the cruise lines have to have the following:
■ 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 new guidelines are the first mention of vaccinations, and they do not require that crew or those working at the ports are vaccinated.
In its statement, though, the CDC suggests that the more potential port personnel and passengers become vaccinated, the faster this process will take place.
“The CDC stated, “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.”