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Routine vaccinations protect you from infectious diseases that can spread quickly in groups of people. Outbreaks of chickenpox, influenza, and COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships. Of course, if you do test positive for COVID-19 on a ship, you will, unfortunately, face what could be several days of isolation in a cabin on a ship or on land.
Diagnostic Tests for Acute Viral Respiratory Illness (ARI)
While the CDC said the rise in cases since the identification of the omicron variant prompted it to issue a level 4 warning about cruising on Thursday, the CDC long anticipated cases on board ships, in part because of the very nature of cruising. For what it's worth, more than 80 countries around the world -- including a good chunk of all the places you might want to travel -- are on this list. But the warning shouldn't be seen as a call-out on any elevated risk to cruising as opposed to visiting other places, per se. Such a protocol comes at the recommendation of the CDC, which has set guidelines for how cruise lines should respond to COVID-19-positive cases on board ships, and it has worked well for the past year.
Common Health Concerns During Cruise Travel and what You Can Do to Prevent Illness
The agency currently identifies 86 ships where the number of Covid-19 cases meets the threshold for investigation — a 178% jump in 10 days — as the omicron variant spreads quickly across the U.S.. Medical centers on cruise ships can vary widely depending on ship size, itinerary, length of cruise, and passenger demographics. Hochberg told Insider that the treatment he received during his time on the ship was fantastic. In less than an hour, a medical team consisting of a doctor and nurse tested him again as well as his family who tested negative.
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The cancellations come as lines struggle to maintain adequate staffing levels on some ships due to crew members testing positive. When crew test positive, they and their close contacts must stop working and isolate, even if asymptomatic, leaving shipboard venues short-staffed. Cruise lines in recent weeks have faced a growing number of ports that are balking at allowing ships with COVID-19-positive passengers or crew to dock. It’s worth stressing that Covid-19 is showing up on ships where virtually all the passengers and crew are fully vaccinated. Even so, and even with masking protocols and pre-departure testing, the system is not leakproof because it also relies on the honor system. Since mid-December, the number of cruise ships reporting Covid-19 has jumped from 32 to 89.
Norwegian Bliss
The CDC said 88 vessels are now either under investigation or observation, but it did not specify how many COVID-19 cases have been reported. A crew member on the Breakaway, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the news media, said he first heard about the outbreak from a friend and fellow employee. When he contacted management, they neither shared the number of positive cases nor identified who was infected. If you traveled and feel sick, particularly if you have a fever, talk to a healthcare provider and tell them about your travel. Check CDC’s webpage for your destination to see what vaccines or medicines you may need and what diseases or health risks are a concern at your destination. The cruise industry suffered its biggest financial blow in decades when the COVID-19 pandemic halted most sailings for months and made nervous cruise fans think twice about booking an ocean voyage.
Coronavirus Updates
Insider spoke with Matt Hochberg who has been on hundreds of cruises and runs a website called RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com that shares travel tips and advice for those interested in booking a cruise. § Quarantine was used for persons who were exposed; isolation was used for persons who had positive test results for SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 111 (25.9%) of 428 U.S. citizens and legal residents did not join repatriation flights either because they had been hospitalized in Japan or for other reasons. To mitigate SARS-CoV-2 importation into the United States, CDC used temporary “Do Not Board” restrictions (7) to prevent commercial airline travel to the United States,†† and the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security restricted travel to the United States for non-U.S.
Average age of cruise passengers
You won’t be required to assemble at a designated spot on the ship to hear the pre-departure safety instruction, also known as the “safety muster drill.” Instead, passengers can watch parts of the safety drill on their stateroom televisions or on a cruise ship app. Most ships are sailing at less than full capacity, partly to encourage physical distancing. The Majestic Princess left on its maiden voyage from the Port of Los Angeles at about 60% capacity. Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company, reported that bookings for the second half of 2022 already surpassed bookings for 2019. Royal Caribbean cruises for 2022 are nearly at 2019 levels, the company’s chief financial officer, Jason Liberty, said on a recent earnings call. In an email to NPR, a spokesperson for the Cruise Lines International Association said the trade group was "disappointed" by the CDC's latest advisory against cruise ship travel.
Recommendations when a voyage’s crew or passenger ARI attack rate reaches 2%‡
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Since the cruise industry restarted operations in the United States this June, its efforts to keep the coronavirus at bay — or at least contained, unlike the major outbreaks experienced in 2020 — have been largely successful. Most cruise companies mandate full vaccinations for crew and most passengers, and have implemented strict health and safety protocols to swiftly identify coronavirus cases onboard and reduce their spread. One day after the C.D.C. advised against all travel on cruise ships, thousands of cruisers partied like it was 2019. But worries about onboard policies — and frustration over quarantines — are rising. For now, CDC guidance allows cruise ships to relax measures — such as mask usage — if at least 95% of passengers and 95% of the cruise ship crew are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Following the identification of the omicron variant, there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among cruise passengers and crew reported to the agency, the CDC said.
Celebrity Apex
Lines also are dealing with a small but growing number of destinations -- India and Hong Kong, for example -- that are at least temporarily closing to cruising completely, even for ships where no one has tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the 86 cruise ships currently under CDC investigation continue to sail. Recently, Bonaire and Aruba denied the Carnival Freedom entry to its ports after the ship reported a number of positive cases. And Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Sea changed course from planned stops in Curacao and Aruba after 55 cases of Covid-19 were identified. People who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines are less likely to have severe outcomes if they develop COVID-19 after boarding.
Crew members and fellow travelers often board a cruise ship from destinations where some diseases are more common than in the United States or where vaccination is not routine. To go onshore, you must meet the health protocols of the country the ship visits. The government of the Bahamas, for example, recently announced that all cruise visitors must be fully vaccinated, with the exception of travelers under age 12 and those with medical exemptions. On October 21, Princess cruise line updated its COVID policy to welcome all guests, regardless of vaccination status.
This means that many sailings are going ahead as planned, with little disruption, even when some passengers and crew on the trips test positive for COVID-19. I experienced this myself in late December when on a Silversea vessel where four passengers tested positive for COVID-19. Some passengers who were deemed close contacts of the passengers who tested positive were isolated for a short period while being tested for COVID-19. But the positive cases had little impact on most of the passengers on board the vessel, and the voyage went ahead as planned.
Cruise ship operators may consider this strategy in situations where exposures may have occurred in crowded settings, if unsure of the date of exposure, or if there is difficulty identifying index cases, as often occurs in the cruise ship environment. Cruise ship operators should consider performing viral testing (e.g., COVID-19, influenza, RSV) for passengers with ARI before they embark. Fever (a temperature of 100°F [37.8°C] or higher) will not always be present in people with influenza, COVID-19, or RSV. Cruise ship medical personnel should consider someone as having a fever if the sick person feels warm to the touch, gives a history of feeling feverish, or has an actual measured temperature of 100°F (37.8°C) or higher. None of the ships so far appear to have so many cases that they would overwhelm medical resources on board and require a return to port. And the CDC did not say it would adopt any changes, adding it still had plans to allow for the expiration of a set of rules that cruises must follow to sail during the pandemic.
The Diamond Princess and Grand Princess had more than 800 total COVID-19 cases, including 10 deaths. Since February, multiple international cruises have been implicated in reports of COVID-19 cases, including at least 60 cases in the United States from Nile River cruises in Egypt (Figure 2). Secondary community-acquired cases linked to returned passengers on cruises have also been reported (CDC, unpublished data, 2020).
Cruise ships are allowed to relax mask use onboard if at least 95% of passengers and 95% of crew are fully vaccinated or in specific areas accessible only to fully vaccinated passengers. “However, CDC continues to advise cruise ship operators to require masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas regardless of vaccination status due to the increased transmissibility of variants of concern,” said Reed. The Carnival Freedom was denied entry to Aruba and Bonaire after an undisclosed number of passengers and crew aboard caught the virus.
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